The Sunscreen Song – My 10 Year Tribute (Everybody’s Free)

by ki'une on December 18, 2009

I’ve been sidetracked on my other projects because I really wanted to put this video out there before the year end.  I’m really happy to have the freedom to work on a creative project with no real purpose other than to put some good energy out into the universe.   It’s a video I’ve compiled from the video I’ve taken in my adventures and activities over the past few years (too bad I only started doing video a year ago!).

I’m not trying to tell everyone to do everything possible, but rather inspire people to live more freely.  If it inspires you, and you like it, please share.  I would like a video with a good message to spread out there rather than the negative conflict-driven material that often consumes us.  The song is “Everybody’s Free (Wear Sunscreen)” voiced by Baz Luhrmann.  It’s been 10 years since it came out and this is my 10-year tribute.  Again, feel free to share with as many people as possible.

All the best,

Ki’une

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)  lyrics:

by Baz Luhrmann (written by Mary Schmich)

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 more 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 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 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

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 of 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 living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

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 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.

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.

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{ 5 trackbacks }

How To Get Younger As You Grow Older And Other Advice From Someone Who Hasn’t Quite Made It Yet — Rising Bean
01.10.10 at 9:31 am
Interview: Videodancescapes, Intention, And What Scares The Pants Off Of Me — Rising Bean
02.05.10 at 11:02 pm
The Sunscreen Song « In Green Grass
02.26.10 at 1:51 pm
The Sunscreen Song : Awkward Silence
04.20.10 at 8:06 am
The Midas Effect – Make Everything You DO Turn Into Gold — Rising Bean
06.06.10 at 8:34 am

{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

1

carmen wongNo Gravatar 12.22.09 at 4:01 pm

I LOVED IT!!! Jesse, keep it up, miss you and happy birthday! I just found the video on your fb page. Where are you anyway? I really enjoy your video. VEry inspiring!

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

I’m kind of vagabonding right now. But with the great feedback on the video, I’ve got clips for many more to come!

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2

PatrickNo Gravatar 01.02.10 at 6:45 pm

Very inspiring. I don’t think anyone can walk away from seeing your video and not feel better about life in general. Thanks for sharing. :)

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks, Patrick. That means a lot to me.

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3

Adam CrainNo Gravatar 01.03.10 at 11:02 pm

Dude-

I saw your video on Tim Ferriss’ last blog post. It moved me to tears. Congratulations on putting together an absolutely beautiful piece of work, this sums up the value of life in its entirety.
Thank you, thank you.

-Adam Crain

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Adam,

Wow. Some of my friends told me they choked up, but to move someone I don’t know inspires me to keep going and put more value out there for people. Thanks for the meaningful comment.

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4

Tony PNo Gravatar 01.04.10 at 3:24 pm

Also found this on Tim’s blog.

Amazing. Teach me your ways.

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

@Tony P I’ll definitely talk about more with so many people asking!

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5

JoeyNo Gravatar 01.04.10 at 4:50 pm

Beautifully done. I also got choked up… saw this on Tim Ferriss’ blog while perusing the comments on his post of 4HWW videos. I love this song, love the essay it comes from, and it really was inspirational to see you living your dream. I’ll be subscribing to your RSS feed… really like the blog and I’ll be checking it regularly. Thanks for the shot in the arm. :)

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

@Everyone Thanks for the kind comments! I hope reading this blog or watching my video inspires you to take action. Just make sure a few months from now you’re on track and not still sitting, wishing, waiting.

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6

Josh O'ByrneNo Gravatar 01.05.10 at 8:30 am

I really loved this video, and I’ve shared it with some of my friends and family.

Thanks!

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7

Nancy RicciNo Gravatar 01.06.10 at 10:41 am

Hi Ki’une,
Thank you so much for this video. It is so inspiring, so uplifting and it really struck a cord with me.

When the lady started to sing, I almost lost it…

Keep on keepin’ on, Ki’une!

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8

JavierNo Gravatar 01.09.10 at 7:32 am

Ki’une,
Thanks for the video.
Before I get ready to start my work day, I watch your video to keep me focus, and inspired. Some people need coffee to start their day, your video had been my coffee for the last few days.
Muchas Gracias!

Javier

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

@Javier De nada! Ojala, mi video es mejor de cafe! (was that grammatically correct?)

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9

JavierNo Gravatar 01.14.10 at 11:41 am

Ki’une,

Almost correct, except the “… mejor de cafe!” should be “… mejor con café!” Anyway, you Spanish is way much better that my English!

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10

KikkaNo Gravatar 01.15.10 at 4:44 pm

Thank you, Thank you Thank you, A true inspiration. Absolutely beautiful video.
It really got to my soft part. Thank you.

I also checked your other posts with kids and the raft and that made me cry.

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thank you for the kind remarks!

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11

JeremyNo Gravatar 01.18.10 at 9:32 pm

Ki’une,
What a beautiful video, very nice work. I had never even heard that song until watching your video. I first saw it Friday when checking out Tim Ferriss’ video entrees and have since passed it on to many friends and family. Great dancing too! Hope to see another video from you some time in the future.

Keep it up.

Jeremy

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thank you for your kind comments and sharing it with others. I definitely have more videos coming!

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12

Ryan DempseyNo Gravatar 01.24.10 at 4:38 am

Ki’une, I too saw your video on Tim’s post. Very motivating. I even wrote about it on my most recent blog post.

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks! Yeah, I read your blog – can’t believe it’s in Drupal!

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13

CarserNo Gravatar 01.30.10 at 9:46 am

Your video is amazing. I love it.
I hope that I can meet you in the next years.. At the moment I am finishing my studies and founding a business..
From June on, I will stay in South Africa for some months.. Then I will start for a journey around the world..

Life is great…

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14

IneseNo Gravatar 01.31.10 at 6:25 pm

More then amazing video :) , Thanx a lot! U assured me that Im on the right track :) Also shared with my friends by posting it and first comments say “Im mooved” thats cool..Good luck and keep going ;) !

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks for sharing!

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15

Jacob RevoldNo Gravatar 02.13.10 at 2:51 pm

Great video to a great song, or lecture in life. Truly inspiring !

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks for the kind words, Jacob!

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16

KristinNo Gravatar 02.26.10 at 1:37 pm

Amazing video. Makes me so happy watching it–the dancing, places around the world, way to treat people, inspirations, etc. Thanks for putting this together and sharing. I’ll pass it on and re-post it on my blog!

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks so much for sharing! I’m having a little trouble getting my message out there!

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17

Cindy SwainNo Gravatar 03.06.10 at 11:57 am

Ki’une,

Mark that as 2 people that were moved to tears. Not joking while I was watching your videos tears welled up in my eyes because it reminded me of my around the world trip I took in 2008 and all of the wonderful moments came rushing back. You are an inspiration to continue this mobile lifestyle. Thank you for sharing your talents and inspiring me! I’ve just posted the video on my facebook and to my blog because EVERYONE needs to watch this.

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks for the touching comments, Cindy! Also, thanks for sharing. I really want lots of people to watch and be inspired, but I’m having trouble getting the word out there!

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18

Cindy SwainNo Gravatar 03.07.10 at 6:03 am

Hi Ki’une,

Ever thought about using the outsourcing method in Tim Ferriss’s book to direct traffic to your site.? You could get 1-2 marketing assistants that will be in charge of writing on blogs, writing articles, maybe turning your video into an online banner, direct/indirect marketing strategies, as well as signing you up for presentations etc.

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19

SoulNo Gravatar 03.11.10 at 6:11 am

Hi mate,

Soul from London here. I’ve watched this video so many times now. As a capoeira player and 4HWWer and wannabe adventurer this video has inspired me many times over. It’s also pushed me to keep up with my popping and locking and take those adventure trips!
Thanks dude, have shared this with so many people. Keep up the good work!

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Thanks for the kind words! More to come! I promise!

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20

TravisNo Gravatar 03.25.10 at 10:29 pm

Great Video! I’ve shared it with everyone that I can. Truely makes me rethink life and how to live it. Hope to someday bump into you in my travles. Keep up the great work!

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21

TravisNo Gravatar 03.25.10 at 10:31 pm

Amazing video! I’ve shared it with everyone that is willing to watch it. It’s made me rethink life and how to live it. Hope to bump into you someday in my travels. Take care and keep up the great work!

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22

Adam DukesNo Gravatar 08.02.10 at 9:14 pm

An amazing video! So inspirational. Thank you.

It’s going on my blog tomorrow for ‘Video of the Day’. I have emailed it to friends and family.

Thanks again!

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

thanks so much for sharing!

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23

Nick SNo Gravatar 08.11.10 at 6:26 am

Hey man, I’m sure you get a lot of emails and whatnot about how amazing your videos and articles are, but I feel obligated to add one more. Your 10 year tribute to the sunscreen song really touched my life, and it’s helped me in so many ways. I’ve been inspired to live better, live with more meaning and purpose, and to live with no regrets. It also helps me whenever I’m feeling down, because honestly I don’t know how someone could watch this and not be cheered up and filled with hope and determination to make their life incredible. I’m just finishing high school, and I don’t think i could’ve picked a better time to discover your video. I’m going into the prime of my life, and I’m gonna make it count. Thank you sincerely for your inspiration and advice.

P.S.
I’ve also been inspired to wear more sunscreen =)

[Reply]

ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

Nick,

That’s really encouraging for me to hear! I’ve got more vids and posts on the way. It’s really important to share what I’ve learned.

Ki’une

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24

PhilippeNo Gravatar 08.29.10 at 9:56 am

Thank you for the video ! It really made me smile the whole time.
I have just discovered your blog( thks to tim’s blog).Now i am wondering (probably because it would be amazing but it is very unlikely, yet i want to believe it) : Have you not met a french blond girl on your way up to the top of machu pichu ?
I saw you ve been there on the vid and so did I.

I was with that blond girl(im french) and she told me that on her way up, she met a crazy asian guy who was ‘discovering the world and didn t really speak spanish very well’…
Makes me think about you !
(i was waiting for her at the top as i had climbed earlier to see the sunrise)
Anyway, your blog rocks, congrats !

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ki'uneNo Gravatar Reply:

I did meet a French blonde girl, but it was in northern Peru where I was surfing! Funny enough, I did meet another blonde girl at Machu Picchu, but she was from Germany.

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25

PhilippeNo Gravatar 08.29.10 at 9:57 am

it was a year ago…

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PhilippeNo Gravatar Reply:

Okay, that would have been too crazy ;) The world is small but not that small
Keep up the good work with your blog !

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