The lovely Sandra Bullock was a surprise guest at the graduation ceremony for the Warren Easton Charter High School in New Orleans yesterday. Bullock has long been a supporter of the Warren Easton Charter School, an acclaimed public school which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. She helped fund a new health clinic which was opened there in 2010. So her involvement isn’t unexpected, but that doesn’t make it any less special. US Weekly has details of Sandra’s speech and it sounds like she made it personal and kept it interesting. I’m always so impressed with Sandra’s public speaking ability, she’s so excellent at awards ceremonies.

I didn’t remember anything because I was so worried about the future. I wasn’t present. Which made me think about a question someone asked me just recently… if you could go back and talk to your younger self, what would you say? I thought ‘wow, that’s kind of heavy.’

I wished someone had said to me what I’ve been spending the last four years, telling a little boy, who I love more than anything, who happens to be my son and he’s from New Orleans. So I thought, ‘Maybe I will share that with you guys, that what I tell a 4-year-old, is what I wish someone would had told me before I stepped out into the world.’

Stop worrying
The first thing is: stop worrying so much. Stop being scared of the unknown, because anything I worried about didn’t happen. Other stuff happened, but not what I worried about. The unknown we can’t do anything about. I don’t remember any of the moments in my life where I worried. So that’s a lot of time I couldn’t get back.

Challenge yourself
The second thing was: raise the bar higher. It is noisy out there and for some reason, people want to see you fail. That is not your problem, that is their problem. I only remember the moments where I tried beyond what I thought I could do and I do not remember the failures because I didn’t. Nothing’s a failure, it’s just not supposed to work out that way because something better is supposed to come along.

Listen to music
The third thing we work on at home is in the morning… We turn on the music really really loud before we leave the house. And the rule is, you have to dance a little bit before you step out in the world, because it changes the way you walk out in the world.

Eat something green
Eat something green every day in every meal. It’s growing food for adults as well.

Don’t pick your nose
Do not pick your nose in public [crowd laughs]. Think about it, how about we just don’t pick it in private either? How about we just get a tissue? I know it takes a little extra effort but it gets the job done right away and there’s no public humiliation. And that can go with a lot of other things as well. Make a little bit of an effort.

Hug like you mean it
When someone who cares about you hugs you. Hug them back with two arms. Don’t do the one-armed hug, because when you hug with two arms, it allows you to lean on somebody, and we always need somebody to lean on. And if someone doesn’t want to play with you, it’s okay. Not everyone is going to love us, go find somebody who does want to play with you, and who appreciates what you have to offer.

Find your joy
Last but not least is: go find your joy. Whatever that is. Go find your joy. Are you gonna have a good day or are you going to have a great day? Because it’s completely up to you. It’s what you’re gonna remember in the end. You’re not going to remember how you worried. You’re not going to remember the what-ifs, or the whys or who wronged you. It’s the joy that stays with you and I want to thank you guys for the amazing joy that Warren Easton brings to me every day. You make me walk into the world with pride and I want you to go find it. I want you to save the world while you’re at it.

[From video and US Weekly]

I have to admit that some of that was hokey. It sounded somewhat like the “wear sunscreen” speech which was actually an excellent editorial (and was not by Kurt Vonnegut). The reason that other (faux) speech went viral is because it was masterful, as was Bullock’s speech. She was funny, she was memorable and her message was meaningful. The graduating students will be talking about this moment at every reunion to come. What a class act she is.

Here’s a video of Sandra’s speech:

And here’s a local news report on it featuring interviews with students. (The video ends at 1:40) Warren Easton has an almost 100% graduation rate.

Sandra Bullock is shown out in Beverly Hills on 5-7-14. She’s shown with Louis on 4-11-14. Event photos are from The Academy Awards. Credit: FameFlynet