The Best Advice Ever Given In a 5 minute YouTube: Wear Sunscreen

In a previous post, I touched on the topic of going back in time and giving advice to my 16-year-old self right after the 1977 lifeguard crew photo was taken. That message would be simple.  “If I could offer you only one tip for your future, sunscreen would be it. Wear sunscreen.”  Today, my future-self of that 16-year-old lifeguard, is wearing the skin of many years of “burning to get tan”.  It’s a casual regret that requires semi-annual monitoring and with increasing frequency for removal of suspect patches. 
If the genie fantasy of the magic lamp ever fell into my possession, my only selfish wish would be to go back in time to redirect my youthful self to put a shirt on or wear sunscreen during my time in the sun. Yes, ok, I’d also slip in some additional selfish advice:  buy Microsoft, Apple and Amazon stocks and don’t sell until we recover from a global pandemic. 

Baz Luhrmann popularized a rap-like song in 1999 with words credited to an essay written as a hypothetical commencement speech by columnist Mary Schmich.  The five-minute message, for me, became the best advice that spans an entire lifetime.  I can only imagine how my response to life’s responsibilities would have been more enjoyable if I would have heard and headed this advice at a much younger age.   Spend 5 minutes watching the video.  You may have to play it back a few times because your mind will drift on a personal reflection and may miss the next nugget that comes pretty fast.   The line of “Get to know your parents….” echoes and rings true. If you can, do something about that today.  If not, find a photo and keep it out.

Without further commentary, please take the time now to click the link.  I can assure you that your thoughts and focus will be much different if you just catch one phrase and hold on to it for a while.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

For added convenience, I found the lyrics online and are posted below.

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