SUNSCREEN- By Baz Luhrmann
“Words To Live By”-Tips From A Speech Never Given…
Ladies and Gentlemen: Wear a sunscreen. If I could offer only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The scientists have proved the long-term benefits of sunscreen; where as the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own wandering 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 youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you will look back at photos of yourself and recall how fabulous you really looked at the time. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about your future or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as solving an algebra equation by a chewing gum. Real troubles are apt to hit you at 4 pm on an idle Tuesday.
Do one thing that daily 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, forget insults, and keep the love letters. Throw away old bank statements.
STRETCH;
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life. Some of the most-interesting 40-year olds I know still don’t know what they want to do with theirs. Be kind to your knees. You will miss them once they are gone. May be you will marry, may be you won’t. May be you will have children, may be you won’t. May be you will divorce at 40, may be you will dance on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate or berate yourself too much, your choices are half chances like 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 instructions, 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 will be gone. Be wise to your siblings. They are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick to you. Understand that friends come and go, but with the precious few, you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, the older you get, the more you need people who know you when you are 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 then you will 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. May be you have a trust fund. May be you have a wealth spouse. But you never know when either one may run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you are 40, it will look 85. Be careful about whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of retrieving the past from the dustbin, wiping it off and recycling for more than its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
P.S.: There is a song ‘Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)’ by Baz Luhrmann based on this lyrics. Though the verses are attributed to Mary Schmich.
A Mirror of My Thoughts! 
What You Said!