How Did I Get Sunburn?

One sunny day, not to long ago, I set off for the beach with a girlfriend – without our kids! This was a first for us and we each packed goodies to share. I made a light pasta salad with fresh veggies, and packed some fruit and chips. My girlfriend, Liza, brought sandwiches and more fruit with cheese and crackers. We had an umbrella, beach chairs, reading material and, of course, our little coolers of wine to indulge ourselves with no one else to take care of. Between us we did not miss a thing. We made up for not having our kids around because, by the way we were acting, we were the kids! One thing I forgot to pack, though, was my sunscreen. I have had my share of sunburns, mostly in my teenage and early adult years. Having fairly light skin I learned pretty quickly to use sunscreen; just enough for a bit of color and eliminating that dreaded red hot stinging, can’t move kind of sunburn pain that most of us have experienced at one time or another. By my 30’s I became skilled at using the self-tanning products with an spf, and incorporating them into my summertime ritual; apply while naked with disposable rubber gloves, wait 20 minutes before dressing. I was able to sport a glowing tan during the summer months without having to suffer any pain or further sun damage. My girlfriend and I ate, chatted, drank and snoozed. For the most part we sat under the umbrella, but not all of me was protected. I was exposed, to the sun, from my knees to my toes. The only respite my legs had was when I took a dip in the water, and then lay on my stomach while I dried off. On the way home I began feeling the burn and later that night I was sick. The next morning I could barely walk. How did I allow myself to get sunburned? In my excitement I broke my routine and suffered dearly. My legs were red and swollen for days. It was painful to the touch but I tried dabbing my legs with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar. This was only temporarily soothing. Besides taking advil, I didn’t know what to do. Friends of mine did some energy healing on “cooling” my legs. It truly worked but, again, it was a temporary relief; as soon as they stopped I began feeling the burn. I had heard of using oatmeal compresses for sunburn and decided to give this a try. I found the compresses to be soothing, cooling and using them was the turning point in my healing. I cringe at the thought of anybody else suffering severe sunburn, so if you can find relief with this remedy, it’s easy to do: 1 cup oatmeal (instant or old-fashioned); finely grind and make a paste with water; sit in bathtub and fill with cooling water and gently wash off to finish. Take your time and enjoy the soak while your at it. Moisturize afterwards, and continuously, because the peeling will not be as bad. Trust me, I know because it happened to me! What moves you?