Recently I came across this extract from Australian composer Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 1999 song “Wear Sunscreen”, and thought it sounded like the perfect attitude to stick with as I enter this new decade and my middle years:
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
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.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
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.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand your friends come and go but for the precious few you should hold on to.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old and when you do you’ll fantasise that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.”
This should be taught in school at the age of 10.
Of course no one would take any notice!
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The foolishness of youth!
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Oh, this is rich!
Especially: “Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.” and “Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.”
Thanks for a great start to my Wednesday, Andy.
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Always good to have some early inspiration.
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I remember first time I heard this, the bit about the most interesting people still didn’t know what they wanted at 40. I hope I was one of those.
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I think I might have been.
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Great reninder.
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👍
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