Ladies & Gentlemen of the Class of '97 - Wear Sunscreen...

Actually Mark I wouldn't wear sunscreen if you paid me to.
It may cut down on basil cell skin cancer, but there has been an increase of melanoma from sun screen use.
It has to do with one of the ingredients in the sun screen (Sal can go into more detail).
Also it blocks the suns rays that are needed for D3 production.
I spent most of my time outdoors and have only wore sun screen twice in my life and both times where by accident.
If the sun is an issue for you the better thing to do is wear a wide brimmed hat and a lite long sleeve shirt and long pants.

I wear sunscreen everyday. The lotion I use on my face has an SPF in it and so does the foundation I wear on occasion. I always wear a hat and since I've been sunburned so many times, I wear zinc on my nose attempting to get as much protection from the sun as possible.

Living in Vegas as a kid, we didn't have sunscreen. In fact, we wanted that wonderful tan and sometimes used baby oil and those foil looking blankets to accelerate the tan.

Now, one of the most exposed areas of my body, my upper chest looks like beat up leather. I was smart enough to protect my face so I don't have many wrinkles on my face but my hands have dark sun spots and look like the hands of someone much older than I am.

I've had several suspicious moles removed from my back and I was really scared waiting for the results from the lab.

Someone very close to me who was exposed to sun all of her life and had suspicious moles often. She didn't wear sunscreen. After having the moles removed one of the moles was cancerous - melanoma. She died.

I did enjoy the power of my beauty and youth. For some reason, I was always intrigued with older people and learned a lot from "hanging out" with people much older than I was.

I don't worry about the future. At close to 50 years old, I am happy and completely confident that my future holds something better than my past.

I do one thing every day that scares me: internet marketing. Every new venture could bring success or failure. I don't let the fear or scare overcome me, I allow it, think about it and move on with a positive attitude.

I sing. Often. I laugh often too and it's great medicine.

I don't consider myself reckless with other people's hearts and I would never put up with anyone who is reckless with mine, be it family or friends.

I floss daily.

I agree about not wasting time on jealousy. It has no place in my life. I'd be lying if I said there were not times I was jealous but it does not consume me.

I do remember compliments. Everyone wants to be complimented. I dismiss insults to ignorance and never think about them again. My husband, on the other hand, cannot let go of insults. I feel sorry for him since he tends to dwell on what others think about him. When someone insults me, I tell them exactly what's on my mind and move on.

I don't have any love letters and I keep my bank statements for the required 6 years.

I make it a point to stretch every day.

Ha, I agree with not knowing what to do with your life. It wasn't until I was older that I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Ah, my knees are giving me some problems. I have a group of lady friends who are in their 60s and 70s and the majority have had knee replacements. Every time they talk about their surgeries, I thank God my knees still work.

I dance every day when I watch Ellen.

Can't read directions until I try it on my own and then I have to let go of Stubborn Lori and breakdown and read the directions.

Never cared for beauty magazines. My life will not be any different if I see a celebrity airbrushed on the cover of a magazine.

I don't want to ever live in NYC. I lived in Northern Cali and it was a wonderful experience.

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

I didn't start using hair dye until I got a gray stripe and looked like a skunk. My hair is healthy, thick and still shiny and no doubt due to no abuse when everyone else was dying their hair.


I would add to be your person - don't go with the flow. Just be yourself and minimize your regrets.

When it's time to leave this Earth, I don't think I will be measured by how much time I spent online but how much time I spent with my family.

Not by the wealth I was able to accumulate but how I chose to help others in need.

Not by the things I was able to buy but by the things I was able to let go of to help someone else.

We all have regrets in life. To me, it's important not to add anymore to that list.

underwear,underwear,underwear















And I had seen the speech before.

So it goes... :rolleyes:

I was not the class of '97 by a long shot, but I remember when this came out, and it still makes me cry in some ways today. Great "song" great "message"

And for the record, I barely ever wear sunscreen either for the same reasons that many have mentioned. I think I will take my chances, overall.

[quote=Mark Andrews;6291631]Ladies & 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 p.m. 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.




Great song and good solid advice.
I hope you copied and pasted that into your box because if not...how much time do you have on your hands chubbs???

Loved your post, thanks so much! Made me sad in a way....why can't we live forever

Thanks for posting.... one of my favorites from the 90s

I loved it in '97 and love it now!

Thanks for posting this....I haven't thought about it in ages!

Forget the sun screen. Its use has been associated with an increased rate of skin cancer. If you don't want to get skin cancer, drink coffee:
Three daily cups of caffeinated coffee tied to 17% drop in risk for common skin cancer - HealthPop - CBS News

Remember, to reduce your chances of getting skin cancer, drink lots of coffee with caffeine.