This week we welcomed the first day of spring.
The sun shone here in central Montana with an
intensity that had the power to melt 6 foot high
mounds of snow and our hearts in the process.
And suddenly everyone had a brighter outlook
on life. Yet all that glitters isn't necessarily gold.
Which is why some of us have to learn the hard
way. Consider Icarus. He thought he could fly
high. That was until he went too close to the
sun and was burned in the process. While the
sun itself is more than a hot property, it can be
unreliable at best. Hence enjoy your day in the
sun while it lasts. Or burns you in the process.
In hindsight I wish I'd listened to my mother.
Long before anybody even thought of SPF
she did whatever was possible to shield me
from the sun's harmful rays. Slathering her
son with a variety of potables and potions
along with a liberal swath of zinc oxide. All
which left me quite pale by comparison with
everybody else on the beach. No wonder that
if given the opportunity, I laid my soul and
virgin skin bare. Reaping the negative impact
of over exposure. And in said process, did
damage my skin to the point where it's now
little more than a melanoma factory.
It's no wonder given I've spent ample time
in the sun. For decades I baked in its glory
sans consideration of the risks associated.
Too late I finally learned my lesson post
purposefully putting myself in such a bad
light. Now I do whatever I can to avoid
solar exposure. Recently we spent a week
in sunny Florida. Even if the weather was
lovely, we never put on our swim suits.
Better safe than sorry. Instead we put on
our sunscreen and took a long walk on the
shadiest side of the street. Hiding from -
rather than seeking sunshine or lollipops.
At this point in my life I'm one of those folks
who hides their bushel under a beach umbrella.
Or anything else that insures I avoid getting
burned. A pasty white ghost haunted by tans
past. Rather than stroll the beach au natural
I visit my dermatologist to monitor whatever
has popped up since my last visit. All with
the knowledge that if I has listened to my
mother, all of this could have been avoided.
And yet I still remember what it was like to be
a bronzed adonis. No wonder that I still think
that my times in the sun were worth it. After
all... it was fun while it lasted. OR WAS IT?!
