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Often when I’m doing my morning walk, I listen to my iTunes library on shuffle. The other morning a song came up
that I had not heard in a long time; in fact, I had forgotten I even had it — “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen).”
The words for this song came from an essay written as a hypothetical commencement speech by columnist Mary Schmich,
originally published in June 1997 in the Chicago Tribune.
The essay became the basis for a successful spoken word song released in 1999 by Baz Luhrmann.
“Ugh, I don’t wear sunscreen. I don’t need it.
(Gulps, takes deep breath). Listen to me carefully: everyone, every skin color, every tone, every ethnicity,
and almost every age — needs sunscreen. You need it for two reasons: first, because it prevents skin cancer,
and second, because it prevents premature aging.
If you’re wearing a mask, brushing your teeth, taking care of yourself — you gotta add in sunscreen.” (NPR)
I haven’t always listened to this advice. Over the last decade, I have begun to experience the result of too much sun
without using sunscreen. In trying to make up for lost time, I see a dermatologist twice a year. I have had several skin cancers,
all squamous cell carcinoma, all treatable.
