Regrets: I’ve Had a Few

Stephanie mentioned that her mother-in-law’s birthday was yesterday.   Nosy person that I am, I asked, “Oh, how old is she now?”   And though I won’t print it here, but suffice it to say she just gently passed a number that contains both a zero and a five, I was like, “What?   Wow-she has good skin!”   Which Steph explained to me has been  protected, life long,  from sun damage.

I just had no idea that allowing myself to burn like a banshee back in the day  was going to be a problem at this age.   My poor children were never screened higher than an eight, and that was after years of ignoring warnings.   I came from the the-sun-gives-you-a-healthy-glow generation.   We were trying to soak every ray in, no matter the kind, not ban any!   We used baby oil to bring on the burn.   I even knew some one who Crisco-ed herself up, doggone-it!   It was all about the brown (which came from the fading burn)!   It was Bain du Soleil for the Saint Tropez tan, baby!

So, though this year, for the first time, I actually purchased an spf of 45, today, in the garden for a brief, but furious planting session, there I was: “naked,” sunscreenless, squinting my eyes to really ensure those wrinkles a place.

I wish I’d known…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Time for a big floppy garden hat?

3 thoughts on “Regrets: I’ve Had a Few

  1. Isn’t it interesting that a lot of people that dislike “people of color” are the ones that are laying out trying to get darker?
    Not us of course, because I am a “person of color”.
    I do like you when you are tanned though baby…
    But not cancer, so I’ll live without the tan. On you at least. Me… that’s another story.
    LONG LIVE BACKYARD POOLS!!!!!

  2. I don’t know what your talking about? I don’t see a wrinkle anywhere on that beautiful face of yours. Live young, be young!

  3. Just a little healthy tidbit…in order to absorb the much needed vitamin D that comes from the sun, you should not use more than an SPF of 15 in sunscreen. And….if you can, being naked is best. The more sun with SPF 15, the merrier. :)

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