ana.words, If you succeed in doing this, tell me how

fast zehn jahre ist's schon her

da spukte ein text durch

die virtuelle welt.

er wurde kurt vonnegut zugeschrieben

stammt aber tatsaechlich von der kolumnistin mary schmich.

(und die machte, nicht dumm, spaeter ein buch draus)

baz luhrmann vertonte den text 99

everybody's free (to wear sunscreen)

gibt auch ne deutsche version, nett anzuhoern

dank an eriz, der den text einsandte

und mich staunend erkennen liess

dass wir ihn nie gepostet haben ;-)

eine deutsche uebersetzung:

http://www.gluecksarchiv.de/inhalt/sunscreen_d.htm

tbz

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.

http://ana.ch/words/archive/?id=4958