D-Lightful

This is my last summer on the island and I wanted to do this year what I failed to do last year.  Get a suntan.  The weather has not been very cooperative of this idea yet.  And so today, seeing blue sky, i decided to go to the beach whether it was warm enough or not.  I threw on the bikini despite not achieving beach body readiness, and reached into closet for my favorite beach and boat dress and let out a little shriek of horror.  For some reason, in March, I deemed the little red DKNY not suitable for my last 6 months on the island and it is sitting in a box in an attic of Saskatchewan rather than being my faithful beach companion.  So I grabbed a little black and white backup, my beach towel and kindle and headed for the scooter.  I posted an open invite to Elbow on facebook just in case anyone was in the area, and as I was leaving got a text saying someone far away wished they could come to the beach with me.  "Don't worry," I said, "It isn't warm enough for the beach, I am going out of pure stubbornness."

And it was true.  There was a chill in the air on the bike and it probably would have been more comfortable with a light jacket.  As I parked at Elbow I had a missed call from Albert.   He was happy to pop down to the Beach.  "Bring beer," I texted back.  Might as well pretend it's summer I thought.  Even if it didn't feel hot, it was nice to hear the sound of waves and feel the sand in my toes.  I selected an open swath of beach and claimed it as my own.

My spot for lazing about today

There were a few people on the beach...a group playing beach tennis, a few other sunbathers, the odd jogger, and one poor exhausted looking man emerged from the surf in a full scuba suit and tank and started the long walk back to the dive shop with all the gear and flippers on.  Other than that, it was just me, Albert and some sunshine.  I applied SPF 85 to my new scar, 55 to the face for anti aging, 30 to the shoulders which have suffered too many burns in the past, but decided to let the rest of me do a little bit of what skin was designed to do...convert sunlight into Vitamin D.

The other brave beach combers of the day

Vitamin D is known to decrease risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoporosis, High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, and types of cancer.  Even Australia, which has the highest skin cancer rates in the world and a population that is used to covering up and sunscreening, has recommended 15 minutes a day without sunscreen.  The thing is...we need sunshine.  On our skin,  In safe, smart, and small doses.  Despite supplementing 2000IU a day, my level is still at the low end of normal Vitamin D levels.  And so...it is my goal to get some sun this year.

The first thing I noticed is the difference in skin tone in my arms, which get a little sunlight year round, and my legs, which are like summer tourists around the island themselves.  This is going to have to change.  And so, I sat out and hoped my dormant melanin producing cells could be coaxed into waking up from their long sleep.  And as we have always experienced, once I was off the bike, settled on the beach, and sitting out on the sand, the sun did start to warm me up.  Enough so that I could go into the still chilly water, and dry right off in just a few minutes.

the legs have some catching up to do

I had a nice visit with Albert, and spent a little longer than the 15 minutes I was going to spend on the beach.  I should have applied sunscreen to a few more areas.  But it felt so nice to have some time in the sun.  Summer, you are late, but I will be on the beach waiting for you when you arrive.  At least that is what I thought until I went home, and watched the pink color on my legs deepen as the evening went on.  Apparently 15 minutes really is all one should be outdoors for without sunscreen.  Lesson learned for the summer.