Dahil Summer Na...Wear Sunscreen!

I first came across this poem - Wear Sunscreen by Mary Schmich - way back in high school when we were assigned to look for a literary piece to memorize and eventually deliver to the whole class. I remember thinking that there were a lot of things mentioned in the poem that didn't quite make sense to me, like when the poet compared "worrying" to "solving an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum". (huh? wut da!?!?) And even the opening line left me feeling daft: "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it". I imagined myself lying on my death bed, surrounded by my loved ones and telling them that the most important advice I could leave them with was "to wear sunscreen". (O db? Ang weirdanx lang. LOL). Back then I thought, I was probably biting more than I could chew so I moved on to read another poem. Besides, I told myself, the poem was such a bore – IT DIDN'T RHYME!



Fast-forward to 2007, in my lowest of low a dear friend – itago natin sya sa pangalang boatmate – forwarded to me a youtube link of a song by Baz Luhrman. I was having a pretty bad day, no scratch that, month…and the song was meant to cheer me up. We were both having a hard time dealing with our "transition period" and thus, subjected ourselves to this penultimate quest of trying to "find" ourselves. Kaya yun, in order to avoid partial autism, we ended up indulging our NERDY NEEDS --- constant blogging, swapping hard-to-find ebooks, endorsing piracy ( no wonder Multiply banned mp3 downloads), proving (yeap, you heard me right, as in logic and proof with all the If, Then & Therefore) ridiculous statements such as "1=2" or "your age by eating out"!!! Talk about getting over a slump. Going back, when the song was first mentioned to me I found it a bit queer. I mean, if you're trying to top the Billboard charts would you name your single Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)? I didn't realize that it was the exact same poem-like essay that I read not too long ago until I got to the lyrics. Kanta na sya ngayon! Odb? Asensado. And that's when it hit me. The author wasn't demented after all. She was speaking life-changing truths. Harsh realities based on actual experiences. The wisdom behind the seemingly inconsequential words was very profound that only the Elect, honed and sculpted by Time, can truly understand. Only when you have seen the worst and survived the worst, can you say "Wear sunscreen" and mean it. (Note to Boatmate: If you're reading this, thank you for everything. The boat I was in [then] would have toppled over or I would have been consumed by the crashing waves, if it hadn't been for you. The journey became bearable knowing that I wasn't alone. I miss your kind words and your wise counsel. I miss the friendship. But wherever life leads us, the sense of belongingness is here to stay. Stay happy!)



Oh and about that literary piece assignment, I ended up reciting Anabelle Lee!!!! nyahaha...In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me… by Edgar Allan Poe. Feeling ko kasi it was a story of undying love and of happily-ever-afters, only to find out in the end that it was such a morbid tale…Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.



So here it is, free sunscreen for everyone!



Happy reading!





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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 4pm 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 indoing 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 yousoft. 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..