Wear sunscreen
Autor: Whermane Mendonca | Publicado: 2012-05-16T10:49:00-03:00





By Mary Schmich

[ Reprinted
without permission from the Chicago Tribune. Originally published: Sunday, June
1, 1997. Initially attributed as written by Kurt Vonnegut for the 1997 MIT
graduation ceremony. ]






Inside every
adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit
eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading.
Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an
audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves
by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage
anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

Ladies and
gentlemen of the class of '97:

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, never mind. 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 bubble gum. 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 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 of 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 your 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'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 and lifestyle, because the older you get,
     the more you need the people who knew you 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.