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Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

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.

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.