Ladies and Gentlemen 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. 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 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 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 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'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are 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 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.
Letra em português:
Senhoras e Senhores da Turma de 2003, filtro solar. Nunca deixem de usar filtro solar.
Se eu pudesse dar só uma dica sobre o futuro, seria esta: use filtro solar.
Aproveite bem, o máximo que puder, o poder e a beleza da juventude.
Ou então esquece. Você nunca vai entender mesmo o poder e a beleza da juventude até que tenham se apagado.
Não se preocupe com o futuro.
Ou então preocupe-se, se quiser, mas saiba que pré-ocupação é tão eficaz quanto mascar chiclete para tentar resolver uma equação de álgebra.
Todo dia, enfrente pelo menos uma coisa que te meta medo de verdade.
Cante.
Não seja leviano com o coração dos outros.
Não ature gente de coração leviano.
Não perca tempo com a inveja. Às vezes se está por cima, às vezes por baixo. A peleja é longa. E às vezes, no fim, é você contra você mesmo.
Não esqueça os elogios que receber. Esqueça as ofensas. Se conseguir isso, me ensine.
Guarde as antigas cartas de amor. Jogue fora os extratos bancários velhos.
Estique-se.
Não se sinta culpado por não saber o que fazer da vida. As pessoas mais interessantes que eu conheço, não sabiam, aos 22, o que queriam fazer da vida. Alguns dos quarentões mais interessantes que conheço, ainda não sabem.
Tome bastante cálcio. Seja cuidadoso com os joelhos, você vai sentir falta deles.
Talvez você case, talvez não. Talvez tenha filhos, talvez não. Talvez se divorcie aos quarenta, talvez dance ciranda em suas Bodas de Diamante.
Dance.
Dedique-se a conhecer seus pais. É impossível prever quando eles terão ido embora de vez.
Seja legal com seus irmãos. Eles são a melhor ponte com o seu passado e, possivelmente, quem vai sempre mesmo te apoiar no futuro.
Entenda que amigos vão e vêm, mas nunca abra mão de uns poucos bons.
More uma vez em Nova York, mas vá embora antes de endurecer. More uma vez no Havaí, mas se mande antes de amolecer.
Viaje.
Cuidado com os conselhos que comprar. Mas seja paciente com aqueles que os oferecem. Conselho é uma forma de nostalgia. Compartilhar conselhos é um jeito de pescar o passado do lixo, esfregá-lo, repintar as partes feias e reciclar tudo para mais do que vale.
Mas no filtro solar, acredite.
