Tan lines

Today was a no work day.  In order to distract my mind from the lack of money being made today, I decided to be productive.  I cut the lawn, trim around the house swept and blew the grass clippings and cleaned up around the patio.  After that, I cleaned up the kitchen, gathered the recycling, called Mom to check in.  Being outside feels good and I have gotten some interesting tan lines with the patio and yard work.

I was exhausted.  Sitting on the porch talking to Mom the breeze was amazing, there was no humidity.  The yard looked nice.  I am not a fan of gardening (because I suck at it) but I don’t mind taking care of the lawn.  It is always nice when it is done.  I feel the same way about vacuuming.  Weird I know.

After talking with Mom I went inside, grabbed a beer, changed my close and headed to the back yard.  I had earned some down time to enjoy this beautiful day.  It isn’t my fault that on a day I couldn’t get work, the universe decided we would have a great day with great weather.

Thankful I took the time to put the new lounger together I settled in the sun with my music, my beer, and my little dog by my side.  Time to work on the tan lines. 

Laying still has been a problem for me lately.  I am constantly restless and telling myself I should be doing something.  If all the obvious things are done (cleaning, straightening, rearranging furniture) I create things.  This has been a plus for my unfinished projects and all those things I have been trying to accomplish.  However, I am not used to being this restless during the day.  At night it comes and goes but during the day I can usually slow my mind or redirect it some ways.

I have always liked tan lines.  Silly I know but again, there is an accomplishment in them.  In the past, I have worked hard on them.  Making sure they are clear and even.   Spending hours in the sun laying still.  There were times I set timers to know when to turn over so that the front and back of my body would be evenly matched.

As I got older, I lessened the concentration on this.  Quite frankly, due to my weight and my bust size, it was uncomfortable to lay on my stomach, so  I laid on my back all the time.  The back of my legs was always lighter than the front.  At some point, I stopped caring.  After all, that is what bronzer is for!

Doing the patio and yard work has felt good.  I had underestimated the cloudy days and had a racer back tan line and tank top tan lines.  Not pleased that they were different and uneven I was frustrated.  Knowing they will even out eventually, I am not as concerned as I would have been back in the day.

Today was about rewarding myself for a lot of hard work.

I hadn’t been concentrating on tan lines.  I had been working on the patio and the yard.  So, today was for tan lines.  Today I plopped my ass on a chair, stretched out and let the sun do its best.  Or worse depending on how much you love your skin.

I know this is bad for me.  I have always known it was bad for me.  Taking most precautions, sunscreen, cover the hair and face.  Well, most of the time I cover my face.  I have a little bit of Cherokee in me so I do tan really well.  However, precautions are necessary no matter your skin type.

I only stayed out for an hour and a half.  Of course, I was restless and I got a phone call so I gave up and came inside.  The plan was to head to Mom’s tonight so I showered quickly, spent some time chatting with my daughter and then headed out the door.  Took care of the things that Mom needed and came home.

Getting ready for bed I went to the bathroom and faced the mirror.  Holy shit!   The tan lines are definitely clear and noticeable.  My face is a little pink (probably more than it should be) but I like having a little color.  I know some think it is awful, but I love having a tan and being in the warm weather.  For all my hard work, I am pleased with my reward.

Yes, there is that stomach again, but I see the tan lines first!