so lately i have had the pleasure of getting "advice" you know…the kind of advice that people for some reason just kind of shout at you. "my feet are killing me today." - me"omg tanyel. take care of your feet while you are young. trust me!!" - older wiser person
"geesh, i can't wait to go home and sleep until i can't sleep anymore.: - me" ENJOY IT. once you pop out a kid. you might as well kiss all sleep goodbye"- friend w/kid
usually i just smile and nod and go with the flow but man…the last few "advice" tid bits i have had the pleasure of receiving. i know nothing about. kids. houses. toxins. granola. sex after marriage.
it's almost like…advice is more of a DON'T WALK HERE sign.
i mean i guess that is what advice is for. being told/warned ahead of time so you don't make the same mistake. but i ask myself…"self. would this person be the same person without those crazy experiences and tid bits of knowledge?" i think not.
isn't it funny how when we've gone through something that has taught us a lesson or has changed our lives completely…we feel the need to share it with the world. even though if you really think about it…the world never asked.
now don't get me wrong. i love everyone in my life. but there are times that i just want to shout back…"okay okay…i hear you. i promise when i have kids; i won't buy plastic sandwich bags with BPA!" (whatever the heck that is. i'm pretty sure that if my grandma were still with us; she would say…."when i was young…we ate dirt! There's BPA for ya.")
with that being said and with all of this advicei got to thinking about one of my favorite songs / speeches / whatever you want to call itwritten by Mary Schmich / spoken by: Baz Luhrmann
for now…i'm sticking to this as my go-to life advice
Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be itThe long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientistsWhereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliableThan my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mindYou will not understand the power and beauty of your youthUntil they've faded but trust me, in 20 years, you'll look backAt photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp nowHow 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 that know that worryingIs as affective as trying to solve an algebra equationBy chewing bubble gumThe real troubles in your life are apt to be thingsThat never crossed your worried mindThe kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle TuesdayDo one thing every day that scares you
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's heartsDon't put up with people who are reckless with yours
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousySometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behindThe race is long and in the end, it's only with yourselfRemember compliments you receiveForget the insults, if you succeed in doing this, tell me howKeep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements
Stretch
The most interesting peopleI know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their livesSome of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don'tGet plenty of calcium, be kind to your kneesYou'll miss them when they're gone
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won'tMaybe you'll have children, maybe you won'tMaybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the 'Funky Chicken'On your 75th wedding anniversaryWhatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too muchOr berate yourself eitherYour choices are half chance, so are everybody else's
Enjoy your body, use it every way you canDon't be afraid of it or what other people think of itIt's the greatest instrument you'll ever own,
Dance
Even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living roomRead the directions even if you don't follow themDo 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 pastAnd the people most likely to stick with you in the future
Understand that friends come and goBut a precious few, who should hold on
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyleFor as the older you get, the more you need the peopleYou knew when you were youngLive in New York City once but leave before it makes you hardLive in northern California once but leave before it makes you soft
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truthsPrices will rise, politicians will philander, you, too, will get oldAnd when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were youngPrices were reasonable, politicians were nobleAnd children respected their elders
Respect your elders
Don't expect anyone else to support youMaybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouseBut you never know when either one might run out
Don't mess too much with your hairOr by the time you're 40 it will look 85
Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply itAdvice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the pastFrom the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly partsAnd recycling it for more than it's worth
But trust me on the sunscreen
happy hump day…i ADVISE…you have a good one
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