Baz Luhrmann’s song Everybody’s free (to wear Sunscreen) was released as a spoken word song in late 1998. It was originally an essay written by Mary Schmich who wrote for the Chicago Tribune.

I am just thinking about the times I have heard this song.

As I sat at my desk listening to the lyrics I was thinking about how true they actually are. Even just the actualization that I am now in my 40’s and this song came out in my 20’s. There are sections of the songs which have already happened and are happening all the time. 

Read the words to the song…in full….

____________________________________________________________________________

Ladies and 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 or 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 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 blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing every day that scares you

*Sing Chorus*

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 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 own living room
Read the directions even if you don’t follow them
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly

*Sing Chorus*

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 a precious few, who should hold on

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
For as the older you get, the more you need the people you knew 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

– Baz Luhrmann

I started my blog in 2009. I have always enjoyed being a story teller and sharing my travels, my silly stories of events with people in my life. I had never written them down before. I was in the airport in Toronto waiting to go to New Orleans. Because I was meeting B there, I was travelling alone. This was way before I owned a smart phone, so I was not “connected”. I was waiting at the gate and wished I had a notebook and pen so that I could at least make notes on thoughts, but nothing. 

When I came back from the trip http://yyztravelgal.blogspot.com was born.

The writing was slow at first. Writing helps me get through the rough times. I was healing from my car accident, and then Shari got sick. The posts were consuming by her cancer battle, and then her bone marrow transplant battle. In between all of that, were great stories about my travel experiences and life in general.

I wanted to share my travel posts with my clients but they were intertwined with my personal stories, and I didn’t really want clients to know all about my personal stories, so I gave birth to another blog, my travel blog thestampsinmypassport. It was such a fitting name since I love getting stamps in my passport and feel so grateful for the travel experiences in my life that have allowed me to get many stamps in my passport.

Blogspot is a great first step for a first time blogger. But it is now time to move up to a blog forum, WordPress. So, here we are today. My new blog has landed! I am writing my first post on my new adventure – The Lisa Chronicles.

The Lisa Chronicles will continue to be the home for my personal stories (all posts have been moved over here for you to read if you haven’t already), thoughts and adventures in my life. I will also be focusing on growing the readership for my travel blog, which I have also now moved to WordPress. Please note that the new site address is http://thestampsinmypassport.wordpress.com

It is my hope that I can start to write more articles that may get noticed and published in any online forum to reach a larger reading audience. If you have any connections that would be looking for a person to contribute to an on line column, travel stories, personal growth stories, please let me know.

I do believe in putting things out into the universe and hopefully things will come back around.

Thank you for reading, and being part of my journey. I hope you will continue to read and share along with me.

Live your best life,

Lisa

The universe sends us messages in many different forms. I have learned that the signs and the messages keep coming until you really start to pay attention and start listening to them.

It is easier said than done to say that we should start listening to the signs and messages being thrown at us. I am finding it difficult to ignore them lately.

A lot of people “share” photos and sayings from all different pages on Facebook. Every day there is a constant barrage of articles that are posted on social media sites.

Today this was posted and I had to share it. It sums up the exact feelings I have been having. I printed it. I need to listen to it. I need to take action.