Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99
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
experienceI 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 have faded.
But trust
me, in 20 years youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a
way you
cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous
you
really looked.Youre not as fat as you imagine.
Dont 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
Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people
who are
reckless with yours.
Floss
Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes
youre
behindthe race is long, and in the end, its 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
Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your
lifethe
most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do
with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still
dont.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees
