Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99
...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're 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 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 everyway 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 livingroom.

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.. 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'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...

Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen
By Baz Luhrmann
Voiced by Lee Perry and Quindon Tarver
Written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich