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 pm on some idle tuesday.

don't be reckless with other people's hearts. don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

remember compliments you receive. forget the insults. if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ten things (amidst the many) that i agree with the most from baz luhrman's 'everydody's free', better known as the sunscreen song. very true aint it?