Some suggest that a periodic refresh makes one
all the better. Others claim sans pain there is no
gain. Fine for those who hope to escape reality.
However we all make mistakes. And inevitably
most of us must subsequently face facts. Which
is exactly what I did yesterday. Mother's advice
aside I spent years basking in the sun. Catching
as many rays as possible until ultimately they
caught up with me. In the end the older I got -
the more I exhibited proof of my prior years of
overexposure to the elements. Hence the reason
I spent much of yesterday at the dermatologist
trying my best to fix the damage already done.
If I've learned anything it's that one can have
too much of a bad thing. At some point my
carefully curated tan turned on me. Leaving
a lasting impression that is anything but nice.
In the end my skin became a record of poor
judgement. Requiring drastic dermatological
measures in an attempt to defer the inevitable.
Skin cancer is nothing to joke about even if
it's benign. While it won't kill you, looking
at the end fried result in the mirror just might.
Aging alone is challenging. Putting on display
the errors of one's way. Vividly demonstrating
that too many days in the sun burn one out.
This morning post a liberal dose of a chemical
agent I saw the light. Hopefully this time said
exposure will be beneficial. The experts assure
me that ultimately it's all for the better. Yet as
of now I can barely crack a smile, Could this
"treatment" be nothing more than punishment
for a lifetime of over exposure? Can it eradicate
prior sins and take me back the where I started
from? For now I must wait and see. Accepting
that from now on my only place in the sun is
under an umbrella slathered is SPF 10,000.
It could be worse given somebody once said
"the wages of sin is death." So I'm optimistic.
When we're young we assume we can do no
wrong. However in the end our sins do find
us out. Hence my strong recommendation is
that you avoid unnecessary evil. And given
life's a beach, it's better to throw shade than
get burned. In the end I did this to myself.
And if you're like me, you've got plenty of
lessons still to learn. So do us both a favor.
Let somebody else take a risk. Given the
option why not pale by comparison? Rather
than expose yourself to unnecessary evils.
You may resent it short term but in the end
you'll be glad you went over to the dark side.