Ponderings On Life

Watch this video!  This song and the video are phenomenal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ

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.  lol :)

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists,  (that's true :)

whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience…  haha

I will dispense this advice now:  :)

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;   (Amen!)
oh nevermind,
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’re not as fat as you imagine.   (lol)

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.  (amen brother lol)

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. (Amen to that! How ironic that Roger died on a Tuesday, hm....odd)

Do one thing everyday that scares you!  (ok! lol)

Sing  (all the time :)

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. (remember that ladies, ok, and men :)

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.  (true)

Remember compliments you receive,

forget the insults;

if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.  (lol! :)

Keep your old love letters,

throw away your old bank statements.  (definitely!)

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.   haha :)

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… lol :)

what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much  (amen!)
or berate yourself either –  (amen also!)
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, (amen!)
it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance… :)

even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.  lol

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel UGLY. (Amen to that! I HATE beauty magazines lol)

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. (very true)

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.  (I love you Nate! thanks for everything! lol)

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.  (I love you Ashley!) lol

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; (amen to that lol)

live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. (hey we aren't soft lol)

Travel.  :)

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do   (no....lol)
you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.  haha

Respect your elders. (Amen!)

Don’t expect anyone else to support you.  (yep!)
Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse;
but you never know when either one might run out.  (sadly very true)

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.  lol

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… lol I've always loved this song! :)