Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you
only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists; whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my
own meandering experience.
I will dispense this
advice now: Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;
Oh never mind; you
will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in
a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous
you really looked.
You’re not as fat as
you imagine.
Don’t worry about the
future; Or worry, but knows that worrying is as effective as trying to solve
an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are
apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside
you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day
that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t
be reckless with other people’s hearts.
Don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t
waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you’re
ahead; sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end it’s
only with yourself.
Remember
the compliments you receive, and forget the insults. If
you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love
letters.
Throw away your old
bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if
you don’t know what to do with your life; The
most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to
do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year old's I know
still don’t.
Get
plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees; You’ll
miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry,
maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll
divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding
anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or
berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body; Use
it every way you can...don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance; Even
if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions; Even
if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty
magazines; they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your
parents; You’ll never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your
siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to
stick with you in the future.
Understand that
friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work
hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City
once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel
Accept certain
inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will
philander. You too will get old; and when you do you’ll fantasize that
when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children
respected their elders.
Respect your elders. Don’t
expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe
you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much
with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful who advice
you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice
is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the
disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more
than it’s worth.
But trust me on the
sunscreen...
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