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've 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 are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve
an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The
real troubles in
your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind,
the kind that blindside you at 4 pm 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 compliments you receive.
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 you want 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-olds 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 of 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 your 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 never know when they'll be gone
for good. Be
nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your
past and the people
most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you
should hold
on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle, because the
older you get, the more you need the people
who knew you 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'll 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 you're 40
it will look 85.
Be careful whose 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.
By Mary Theresa Schmich
Created on December, 30, 2003
