Friday – Could've Been Worse
Jan. 1st, 2010 02:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninanevermore.
.
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There's one thing I have to say about 2009: it wasn't the worst year I've ever had. It's not even in the top (or should I say bottom) 5 of the worst years I've ever had. It was, however, one of the most irksome years I've ever had.
I liken 2009 to the really bad sunburn I got while working at a funding-raising car wash for my church youth group when I was 12 or 13. I am one of those people who doesn't tan, no matter how much sun exposure I get. I come from a family filled with blond and red-headed folk, and we don't have enough melanin in our skin to darken much even if we spend a whole summer at the beach. That day I planned to spend the whole day in the sun and get a tan no matter what it took because I was sick of my friends and schoolmates always telling me that I "needed" one. From early morning until early evening, wearing only a swimsuit, a pair of shorts, and flip flops, I washed cars in the hot sun with sun-magnifying water spraying all around me. When I made it home that evening I was noticeably pink.
At first it looked like it wasn't going to be that bad, but the next day it hurt to the point that it made me cry every time I moved, and I spent the next week unable to lie on my back or sit back in a chair. After the pain finally stopped I turned a golden hue and for a whole 24 hours and I thought all was well since I now had that perfect Hollywood tan for the first time in my life. At least I did until my skin began to peal off in sheets. As it pealed, the itch was so maddening that I lay down on the carpet and wiggled around to scratch as much flesh at once as I possibly could. Once the skin pealed and the raw pink flesh beneath it matured, my flesh was the exact same color I started off with the day before the sunburn.
In the end I healed, though I now have a higher risk for future skin cancer from letting myself burn that bad in my quest for a "nice tan" that people with my skin tone are not really capable of getting. My first lesson was to learn to ignore people who told me to get I tan and just love who I am. I have respected the sun ever since, and respected my skin enough to protect it the sun's ravishes. I think this one reason my skin looks as good as it does at the age of 40 and people tend to think I'm a lot younger than I am.
But what all does this have to do with 2009? This past year hurt in a lot of ways, and what didn't hurt was pretty irritating. I'm still in the midst of rethinking a lot of things from the experiences I've had (not to mention looking for a new job). I'm not sorry to see the year go. Not in the least. But I'll gladly keep the lessons I've learned from it and hopefully use them to make wiser choices in the years to come.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * # * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
.
.
There's one thing I have to say about 2009: it wasn't the worst year I've ever had. It's not even in the top (or should I say bottom) 5 of the worst years I've ever had. It was, however, one of the most irksome years I've ever had.
I liken 2009 to the really bad sunburn I got while working at a funding-raising car wash for my church youth group when I was 12 or 13. I am one of those people who doesn't tan, no matter how much sun exposure I get. I come from a family filled with blond and red-headed folk, and we don't have enough melanin in our skin to darken much even if we spend a whole summer at the beach. That day I planned to spend the whole day in the sun and get a tan no matter what it took because I was sick of my friends and schoolmates always telling me that I "needed" one. From early morning until early evening, wearing only a swimsuit, a pair of shorts, and flip flops, I washed cars in the hot sun with sun-magnifying water spraying all around me. When I made it home that evening I was noticeably pink.
At first it looked like it wasn't going to be that bad, but the next day it hurt to the point that it made me cry every time I moved, and I spent the next week unable to lie on my back or sit back in a chair. After the pain finally stopped I turned a golden hue and for a whole 24 hours and I thought all was well since I now had that perfect Hollywood tan for the first time in my life. At least I did until my skin began to peal off in sheets. As it pealed, the itch was so maddening that I lay down on the carpet and wiggled around to scratch as much flesh at once as I possibly could. Once the skin pealed and the raw pink flesh beneath it matured, my flesh was the exact same color I started off with the day before the sunburn.
In the end I healed, though I now have a higher risk for future skin cancer from letting myself burn that bad in my quest for a "nice tan" that people with my skin tone are not really capable of getting. My first lesson was to learn to ignore people who told me to get I tan and just love who I am. I have respected the sun ever since, and respected my skin enough to protect it the sun's ravishes. I think this one reason my skin looks as good as it does at the age of 40 and people tend to think I'm a lot younger than I am.
But what all does this have to do with 2009? This past year hurt in a lot of ways, and what didn't hurt was pretty irritating. I'm still in the midst of rethinking a lot of things from the experiences I've had (not to mention looking for a new job). I'm not sorry to see the year go. Not in the least. But I'll gladly keep the lessons I've learned from it and hopefully use them to make wiser choices in the years to come.
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-01 10:19 pm (UTC)That sounds like a good description of the year. And as a natural blond, I too have had sunburns like you mention and peeled in sheets (and I guess will have a higher risk of skin cancer) Both my grandma and dad have skin like mine and had skin cancer.
You're a good friend. I'll enjoy seeing what 2010 holds for both of us.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-01 11:06 pm (UTC)What a year! I'm still itching from it, but I have hope that I'll be as good as new soon. Hope works as good as aloe vera on this kind of burn. :)
I think this will be a good year for both of us. Hang in there, and for goodness sake stay out of the sun.
Awesome!
Date: 2010-01-01 10:36 pm (UTC)::Wishing you a wonderful 2010!::
Re: Awesome!
Date: 2010-01-01 11:21 pm (UTC)I hope you have a wonderful 2010, as well. I think we've all earned a great new year, haven't we???