Tan!

You may not be able to tell by this picture, but that's me with a tan.  A tan!  For the first time in my adult life, I have a tan, and lemme tell you -- it is glorious.  I feel confident wearing shorts now, and I feel a million times better in a swimsuit.  I also don't have to put as much makeup on, which cuts down my getting-ready-for-the-day time significantly.  Sometimes all I do is apply mascara and go!  It's thrilling!

When I was a child, I spent the majority of my life outdoors doing whatever it is kids do -- playing in the mud, jumping on the trampoline, swimming all day, riding my bike to the school down the street, walking to a friend's house, etc.  As a result, I had a wonderfully golden tan and long, blonde pigtails to match.  Sometimes my dad called me Rapunzel, and I'd giggle and run out to play, glad to know I looked like a fairy tale.

(This picture totally doesn't do my complexion justice.  I looked a lot tanner and blonder than that when I was in 1st through 6th grade.)

It's strange to me that "growing up" basically means "increasingly staying indoors."  Even now, I feel a bit guilty when I spend time outside.  "I should be cleaning," I think, "or working on that project."  That may often be the case, but sometimes I wonder whether spending a little time outside would make grownups everywhere feel more productive whenever they were inside.  Or maybe it would just make them all a bit happier, and that would be good for everyone.


Thing I'm thankful for: talks with friends