Everybody is Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
Baz Luhrman

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97.

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you 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 toubles
in 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 suceed 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, and 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 never know when they might 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 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'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.

My Stories:

The one completed work is 8 Simple Rules. Beauvol is on hiatus indefinitely, as I'm quite ashamed to admit that I strayed into the tempting realms of cliche more than one time too often for that story. However, it has some decent ideas, and so I'm not completely embarrassed by it. Other Magical Beasts gets updated sparingly (close to never)...and there you have it.