Sunburns

It’s time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea. Good Idea: Putting on sunscreen before going to watch the Hazel Dell Parade; Bad Idea: Forgetting to put on sunscreen before going to watch the Hazel Dell Parade in the blazing hot sun and wearing black.

Yes, that’s right kiddos… I forgot to put on sunscreen before we left the house and have become quite red as a result. Fortunately the older I get the quicker it turns into a tan instead of a blistering sunburn, but still, that warm-skin-feeling is there. Unless, of course, I happen to get sunburn on my feet in which case they swell to the size of watermelons (and look pinkish-red like watermelon flesh too now that I think about it) and I can’t walk on them for two days and when I’d poke them they’d feel all squishy and I’d think to myself that it’ll be like that forever and ever. Okay, a little dramatic, yes… but it was a horrible burn.

Up until a few years ago I stayed out of the sun as much as possible. Being outside while there was sunshine would make me physically ill, but gradually I started going outside more and more. At first I’d just burn if I didn’t slather on an obscene amount of sunblock, probably from hardly ever going outside as a child except for the confines of a deeply shaded forest behind my dad and stepmom’s house, and even that was rare compared to my brothers and sisters. I remember being kicked out of the house because it was too nice of a day outside to sit inside and draw, so I gathered my art supplies and sat on the front patio to draw. I’m sure my father and stepmother were not amused, but at least I was outside.

When my little brother was in Little League baseball, and I’m telling you this kid could’ve gone pro if he wanted to, I eventually started taking him to all of his practices and games. While I wouldn’t stick around for the practices, I went to every one of those games for those years and probably from my increased exposure to the sun developed a tan. Now, being of mostly British descent with some Irish and German mixed in for good measure, pale, pasty-white skin is rather normal, and because of such any sunlight that reaches the skin quickly turns into a burn. However, the body has a natural mechanism to protect against too much ultraviolet radiation and that process is skin tanning. The darker your skin, the better UV protection you have. But as we all know, too much sun causes skin cancer, and really, who wants that.

I don’t get as sick as I used to from being in the sun, but it sure makes me sleepy! And of course, if you have a burn it can be difficult to sleep. Oh well, now that I’ve got some color and don’t look like an albino I suppose it’s time to apply the sunscreen again, especially if we have any more days like we’ve had this last week!