Possibly the Most Painful Place to be Sunburned
I biked 47 miles on Sunday. It's the farthest I've ever biked in one day. It was quite an accomplishment, especially since it was so windy that I'm pretty sure I was being pushed backwards, lacking forward momentum, for at least half of the 5 laps around the lake, resembling the mean old lady who turns into the Wicked Witch at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz, except without the black robe and pointy hat.

I've been sunburned just about everywhere the sun could possibly tastefully hit on a human body. I'm fair skinned with blue eyes, so chances are if I'm outside and the sun exists, I'll get sunburned a bit. Unfortunately for my sensitive skin, I love being out in the sun. Most of my childhood captured on film is evidence of my sister and I versus our enemy, the sun. We were pretty much always pink, yet still smiling and apparently oblivious to the fact that sunburn = bad. I'm sure I don't have to worry anymore about contracting skin cancer. If I don't already have it, I'd be very, very surprised.

After biking 47 miles this weekend, and forgetting my sunscreen before getting started, I discovered what is likely the most painful place on the human body to be sunburned. After three hours sitting hunched over my handlebars, I arrived home and caught a glimpse of an odd sunburn in the mirror. The gap between the bottom of my tank top and the top of my shorts left a strip of bare skin on my back aimed right at the sun for three straight hours, and was consequently very, very pink.

Two days later, the rest of my sunburned shoulders, arms, and legs have mellowed out a bit. But this spot on the small of my back is still uber pink, and extremely painful. It's a horrible location for such a severe burn. It hits the chair and car seat when I sit. If I lay on my back or side in bed or on the couch, it gets scratched by the fabric surface. Clothing, well, just plain hurts. Yet, I'm forced to be clothed during the day. Torture . . .

I think I'll not forget the sunscreen this weekend. Or at least try to burn a different section, to even things out.

C.T.