Rants, Raves & Restless Thoughts

Ladies & Gentleman of the class of ‘97
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 nevermind,
    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 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 everyday 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, 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    
    What ever 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.

 

Brother and sister together we’ll make it through
    Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
    I know you’ve been hurtin, but I’ve been waitin’ to be there for
you
    And I’ll be there just helping you out whenever I can

 

Get to know your parents, you 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 and 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 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

Brother and sister together we’ll make it through
    Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
    I know you’ve been hurtin, but I’ve been waitin’ to be there for
you
    And I’ll be there just helping you out whenever I can
    Everybody’s free oh yeah
    Everybody’s free oh yeah

and the analysis of it’s meaning taken from and MTC forum post

Lessons Learned…
Don’t date because you are desperate.
Don’t marry because you are miserable.
Don’t have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don’t philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don’t associate with people you can’t trust.
Don’t cheat. Don’t lie. Don’t pretend.
Don’t dictate because you are smarter.
Don’t demand because you are stronger.

Don’t sleep around because you think you are old enough and know better.
Don’t hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don’t sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.

Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won.
Only a price to be paid for some of life’s more hasty decisions.

To make yourself happy, pursue your passions and be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life. Take away the clutter.
Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.
Don’t abandon your responsibilities but don’t overdose on duty.

Be true to yourself.
Don’t commit when you are not ready.
Don’t keep others waiting needlessly.

Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself. Don’t wait for someone to take care of you.

Live your dreams.
Don’t lose faith in your God.
Don’t grow old. Just grow YOU!

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