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; or 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 4 PM 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 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
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
[Hook]
Brother and sister
Together, we'll make it through
Someday our spirits
Will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting
But I've been waiting 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 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 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
[Hook]
Brother and sister
Together, we'll make it through
Someday our spirits
Will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting
But I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out
Whenever I can
Everybody's free
Everybody's free
Oh, yeah
Don't you fear
Not much around here, come back whenever you want.
