Wear sunscreen….it is for sure very straightforward advice and it is very logical advice. I found out when I was 14 when the sun made my skin burn and in a way ruin my vacation. The anger my father demonstrated I will never forget because I had fallen asleep at the side of the pool and they had not been around to remind me. So when my father saw in what state my skin was he just lost it. Or at least that is how I remember that moment. The pain that followed once the stars and the moon where out also was unforgettable. Yeah, the Côte d’Azur has left scars and so sunscreen is no luxury when it comes down to advice.
So when I did hear for the very first time ‘Everybody’s Free ‘ by Quindon Traver I felt so connected with the lyrics. Yes, I do envy those gorgeous looking individuals who look as if they walk out of a travel brochure with their sun kissed tan. My face and especially my legs communicate ‘polar expedition’. Nowadays sun triggers allergy and will make me go into hiding in the shade. Beach holidays are a no go for me. When I go out for a meal I am the one you will still find inside one a blazing summer day.
Now that school is out and Summer is not the calendar I feel very energized by the sun but I will cary in my bag sunscreen where ever I go. Yes, I am fully aware that when I come back of a skiing trip that I even look as white as the snow but I don’t care. It is my skin that I care about that is not the only thing that I like about those lyrics.
For those that are not aware this is song that is based on an essay written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a former columnist with the Chicago Tribune. She won the Pulitzer and is amazing gifted writer and most of us do not know who she is. When I did hear this for the very first time I did wonder if this had been rather a collection of quotes mixed into something that Baz Luhrmann managed to sell. It is not and only by clicking a few times further you do find out how this ‘song’ was born. The words ended even up being linked to one of my favorite authors Kurt Vonnegut. He felt flattered but Schmich herself was afraid that she would be accused of plagiarism. Having to use the cliché excuse ‘I wasn’t aware that someone already had written this’, is one you seriously wish not having to say out loud when you are an author.
Still years later after hearing this for the first time I still like this advice and I bet that to many of us it does makestotal sense. In case you wonder if I myself do remember the commencement speech that was given at my graduation. Nope…I don’t. Don’t get me wrong because there are quite a few educators that I do remember and that have made an everlasting impression. Some have given me very wise and serious advice that I still keep close to my heart. But the speeches given at my graduation did not include some of the words that Schmich has included.
I do remember when I did hear it for the first time and that I did think:’Oh this is useful…especially that about the sunscreen.’ Plus that I do think that once you are passed 40 you might still wonder what you are going to do with your life. Some of the things mentioned it I do try. The sing one I prefer to do when I am all by myself and I am still not brave enough to do everything day something that scares me. Stretching is nowday more of essentials and a must in order to get out of bed.
So to all the young minds in the world who did graduate and are part of the class of 2019 or managed to get their hand on that Phd or Masters that they worked so hard for please dispense the sunscreen in big amounts not only your skin will be grateful….and please stay as eager you were when you were writing your college application essay or as focussed as when you wrote your thesis that made you curse and forsake tons of social functions. The world is a scary place but when you do wear sunscreen you at least have one extra layer of protection on you.
I do hereby want to wish all of you a great summer and enjoy the free time you get to spend with your friends, family or total strangers you might come across while discovering places. Be bold and brave and embrace new experiences. Put stay away from the street food if you are blessed with a sensitive digestion system. Plus try not go wild when it comes down to selfies and social media. Memories that last a life time do not necessary need to be posted on Facebook or Instagram in order to add that extra spice to your life. You are the living proof of that…just use sunscreen because no matter what you will always look better without a sunburn.
P.S.: This is a link to an article that I found about Mary Schmich and the background story of this mock commencement speech/collumn she wrote. https://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/mary-schmich-is-world-famous-
