As I wake up early in the sleepy days August slowly
coming to, I
smell the saltiness of the oceans breeze and feel the stickiness of a
humid
day. The sun peaks through the small boxed shape window, of which I can
only
see half way through from my top bunk. The fan osolates slowly making
the
every so familiar hum that breaks the morning's silence. As I think of
what is
going to happen that day, my heart starts to race. Looking at the
digital clock I quickly, but
quietly slip
out of my top sheet, feeling the burber under my feet and get dressed.
I put on
my favorite sea foam colored one piece with glimmering flecks and a
large white
terrycloth cover up that hits me just past the fold of my knee. I walk
slowly
out of my bedroom checking the other rooms as I pass by. No one is up
yet. As I
reach the kitchen I pull a chair close to the cabinet to get a cup for
my
orange juice. As the chair slides across the floor, I hear the springs
of my parents’
bed squeaking. My father is up. I jump off the chair and slide it back
as if it
never moved, yet I have the evidence clearly in my hand.
"What are you doing?" he asked me with a deep and scratch voice
"I am getting a cup for my orange juice." I replied
"What time is it?
"It's already 7:01, you told me I could get out of my room at 7:00,
see... it's 7:01"
"Oh, yeah I did.... Well let's not wake everyone. How about we go
out
to the garage to pick out the fishing poles"
A huge smile rushed over my face, my dad smiled back and we walked
out
through the sliding glass door onto the deck.
We trolled the boat through the bay off of the head of the Barnegat in
the midmorning
before the sun was at its peak. I put my rod in the water with squid I
baited
myself; letting the line go until a sudden tug was felt, knowing that I
hit the
bay floor. I loved to fish with my dad. We would talk and talk. He
would bring
subs from the local sandwich shops and cans of soda. I never got
to drink
soda except when we fished. He always made me feel special teaching me
his secrets
of "catching the big ones" and of course making sure that I had my
sunscreen so my mom didn't yell at him. I hated wearing it. I always
felt so
greasy, so slippery. But he promised my mom, so I usually had it on.
Unfortunately that day, he forgot to bring it. We caught 3 big fluke
that day
and nasty sunburn. My mom was furious and I in pain. Why did the sun do
that to me
and why are mothers always right?
I am sure that almost everyone has a story like this one. We have
all been caught out in the sunshine, feeling the warmth and forgetting
to protect our most precious organ, our skin. Have you ever thought
what actually is protecting us. How and why does it work? By clicking
on the following links you can learn almost everything you ever wanted
to know about the sun and our protection against it.
