Everyday Nirvana

Here we are in April, in Kansas, and springtime seems like it’ll never get here. After a long, cold winter, with plenty of snow and ice, Mama Nature seems to think we need more of the wet stuff. It’s been raining off and on this past week, and we actually had snow flurries this morning. Well, snow in April does nothing for my nirvana. What happened to global warming?

I’m just craving some sun, and even though the forecast calls for sun and temperatures in the 70′s by Wednesday, it still seems a long way off after all the wet and cold. . So what’s a girl to do?

For the most part, I’ve been spending time daydreaming about sunshine, willing the weather to turn, so I can venture out onto the patio and bask in the sun for the first time this year.

Sunbathing is ingrained in me, and one of the pleasures I look forward to in the hot weather. This goes back to my childhood. As a girl and into my teens, I spent summers at the local pool with my friends (and, later, with boys we had crushes on). We’d arrive when the pool opened at 1:30PM and stay until dinner time. It was THE summer activity. On cool, cloudy or rainy days, we were at loose ends. What to do? Where the hell is the sun? I remember sometimes venturing to the pool in spite of cool, rainy weather, shivering under our towels and reassuring each other that the sun would be out soon. Lucky for us, Kansas in the summer tends to be pretty consistently hot, hot, hot and sunny.

Long after the warnings from the medical establishment, and my mom and dad and husband, about UV exposure, I still love a good sunbath. After all, why would the sun shine if it isn’t good for us? Why would we all be in such a damned good mood when the sun comes out if it isn’t good for us? Why do we all look so much better with tans if the sun isn’t good for us? It’s a cruel irony, I say.

And, for me, the feel of the sun on my skin is just too wonderful to give up entirely. Luckily for me (I guess), the time constraints of a full-time job and parenting three kids keeps me protected from my own worst desires to loll about in the sun. BUT. When I do get a chance to indulge, I like to do it right.

So. . .

Let me tell you about a perfect day I had in the Florida sun not so long ago (the very day I’ve been fantasizing about). Our family was in Orlando, Florida, for an AAU basketball tournament. We went down a couple of days early, to do the theme parks. Then, on the first day of the tournament, when the teams were registering and holding their pre-tournament practice, I blocked out pool time for myself, taking a brief break from my basketball mom duties. The family rolled their eyes when I told them my plans, but I wasn’t deterred.

My pool day started with a light breakfast, then a workout in the hotel gym room. (So I could say I did something productive in defense of the impending laziness. ) Then I went back to the room and gathered my pool gear: towel, ipod, baby oil (ooops, I mean sunscreen lotion with SPF 570 or so), iced water. Then down to the pool area.

It was hot, so I jumped in the pool first thing. Then I found a chaise longue and placed it near the pool in an area of maximum sun exposure, spread my towel on the chaise, rubbed down with oil (I mean sunscreen), plugged in the ipod and relaxed into my nest. Once you get out of the water and under the sun, it’s wonderful feeling. You’re still refreshed from the water and the sun warms your skins slowly as the water is evaporating. It felt luxurious. And I know part of the luxury for me was the fact that I was doing NOTHING. For a brief time, I had myself to myself, alone with my thoughts and feeling about as physically good as I possibly can.

It was August in Florida, so the sun was working overtime. I got up every twenty or thirty minutes and splashed around in the pool to refresh myself. There was a snack bar near the pool, so I went there twice to get fresh fruit cups and once to get a frozen lemonade (Yummy!). These were the little indulgences added to my day that made me feel pampered.

By the end of the day, I had a wonderful sun-soaked feeling. My skin was warm, but I hadn’t burned. My body felt totally relaxed.

Mmmmmmmmmm. . .

So I’m sitting here in my slippers and sweats, reliving that day in the sun, and looking forward to some sunshine nirvana.