My secret

I am a sun seeker. I love the heat, the warmth, the light. When I do not have the sun, I am sad. Every year, when the leaves start to change I start psyching myself up for long months ahead. Every year I also ask myself why I live in Utah. Now don't get me wrong, I do love Utah! I love how beautiful it is here and part of me loves that we get every season imaginable. I just wish the warmer months were longer, and the colder months were shorter. My idea of heaven is sitting on a beach in Mexico ALL day long!

So, starting around the end of January, I start going a little stir crazy. I have not really seen any sign of the sun in a few months. Along with my knees and back, my hands are starting to get arthritic from all the crocheting I am doing to generate warmth. The only time I can feel my toes is when I am in a steaming hot shower, which actually hurts for the first few minutes! I believe that this is when the bitter February wind starts in and I want to die.

This is where my secret comes in.

I like to tan.

In a tanning bed.
Yes that's right! There is nothing like laying in that bed for 25 minutes, under the fluorescent lights and sweating to my Ipod. It is the first time all winter that my feet are not cold and my body is filled with the Vitamin D that I don't get from my Soy milk. I can close my eyes, imagine hot sand burning my feet, and get lost in Janis Joplin's "Summertime". For me, it is not necessarily about the browning of my see-through white skin (which I am not complaining about!), but the increase in that happy, good feeling that the sun gives me. I smile and get warm fuzzies just thinking about it! I know more about tanning beds than you can imagine! You want to know the difference between a Wolff and a Ruva bed, just ask!

Now I can already hear the gasps about all of the damage that this can cause to my skin. Yes, I know how bad UVB and UVA lights are for my skin. I also know that they are now promoting people get 10-15 minutes in the sun because most are lacking in Vitamin D due to the increase in sunblock use. I am also the first one to promote wearing sunblock ANYTIME you are out in the sun! No one likes a sunburn and no one likes cancer! The remedy to this problem is that I wear sunblock in the tanning bed. I can get the benefits that the light gives me (no matter how psychosomatic) all the while protecting myself from skin cancer. There is such a thing as responsible tanning!

So there it is, my secret. My healthy glow recently is not due to a new man in my life nor acceptance to the grad school of my choice (again, I was REJECTED!), it is simply the glow from the tanning bed. Warm, bright tanning bed. I love you.