I always wanted to be tan. I however was never blessed with the ability to get tan. You know those people who walk out on overcast cold days and turn in to golden gods? That’s not me. I turn into a nice shade of red and then I fade back to pale. It is something I’ve come to terms with. Although I’ve attempted many ways to stay tan throughout my childhood like using Crisco, tanning oil and then my personal favorite — the absences of any sunblock. All produce the same effect, a horrible and gross burn on various parts of my body. I do have to say Crisco was the worst and probably the least well-thought out attempt at tanning. I’d like to say I put it behind me but sometimes I think it could work.
Well it was a beautiful weekend in San Francisco. I took full advantage of it by going to the ocean and catching up with friends. I also forgot the important lesson from my childhood and thought that because it was slightly cooler and less sunny I didn’t need any sunblock. Like all lessons that need to be learned in life, I was wrong, although this life lesson I keep having to re-learn.
I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day. We had gone to graduate school together and both have similar ways in which we deal with stress and enthusiasm over our work projects. We like to catch up and keep each other in balance. He struggles with the ideas of perfectionism and the inability to let go of mistakes as well. I joked with him about my hellacious burn and how I just didn’t think skipping sunblock was all that important. Sure I was burned but that had happened to me many times before. I would heal, right? It was at this point that I realized that sunblock was the key to a lot the mistakes I keep making in life.
Sunblock is like the last detail of completing a project and making it polished. You have your bag, keys, beach towel and a hat. You are complete! Wait, no. Damn, you’ve forgotten your sunblock and then all the work put into your project is ruined by an ugly red and painful burn. My burn came from cheapness, laziness and the inability to find my old sunblock. I took the chance on getting burned over spending seven dollars on protection. Not very smart or savvy if you ask me. As I get ready to start my new job I know what I need to focus on — adding the step to apply sunblock. It’s about adding the time to make sure you have completed the project — the final check and preparation before it gets sent. Because I am not really a fan of peeling red skin off my back for the rest of my life.
