the sun...my frenemy

most people say they love this time of year...i'm one of them.  we start to feel the warm sun, see the flowers popping up, enjoy the longer days, and usher in the season of pool parties, tee ball games, barbecues, graduations, boating, trips to the beach/lake...  but i also hate this time of year.  as the weather gets warmer, the clothes get smaller and that means more skin is exposed.  for me that means more sun rash.  as the years pass it becomes easier for me to get the rash, the rash is more severe, and the rash lasts longer.

i basically spent this weekend in hiding even though it was our first good weekend of sunny warm weather. i sat on my porch and (this sounds corny) gazed longingly out the windows. i took the baby outside for a few minutes each day, but spent the nights paying for it. last night i finally figured out how to explain how the rash feels on my skin. unfortunately only the ladies are going to understand and it's a little tacky to talk about...but have you ever had a bad yeastie with that awful terrible itching and pain? well imagine that all over your skin. and now imagine you can't do anything about it. oh then imagine that you have to go out in the sun which feels like needles in your skin. i don't mean lie on the beach...i mean drive your car to the store or go get the mail or spend five minutes too long talking to the neighbor. imagine that. now imagine having a child who LOVES going outside.  

this post is not about getting sympathy (well maybe a little), but it's more about education. when i go out in the sun i pay for it later...for weeks and months. it means that i miss a lot of events, but not because i don't want to be there. it means i can't go watch the marathon (although in light of recent events, maybe that's a good thing), can't do charity walks, can't go to your kid's party, can't have a glass of wine on your deck, can't go on beach vacations (although those are the only kind i go on). it means saying no to a lot. shade doesn't help. cloudy days don't really help, although they're better than sunny days.

last night i was really sad about this whole thing...this sadness hits every season and then i usually get over it. hoping this post helps a little with that process.

i'll be investing in some new UPF protected clothes this season...they're okay but expensive and not really ideal in summer weather, but at least they're something. so if you see me in some weird getup this season, don't make fun ;)