To tan or not to tan

I've been considering going to a tanning booth to lay in a claustrophobic little bed to infuse my skin with melanin enhancing, cancer causing radiation to make me look like I spend all my time playing naked in the sun...then I think of my dear maternal grandfather who died when I was 18 from melanoma, spending his last months getting blood transfusion after blood transfusion, and my uncle who has had most of an eyelid removed due to skin cancer, and the spots my mother has had removed from her hands...

Maybe it's not such a good idea. I am Danish, German, English and a few others - none of which have remotely dark skin. I am covered in freckles have somewhat naturally red hair (there's got to be some Irish ancestry in there somewhere, right?). I don't think I was meant to have dark skin. I can tan - I've done it before. You should have seen me when I got back from Iraq!! Yes, I spent every day laying by the pool enjoying the 135 degree heat - well, that was only the one week when I had pool duty. The rest of the time, I tried to hide away from the dreadful heat of the day and volunteered to work the night shift. How lovely it was to go sit out under the camouflage at 4 in the morning when the temperatures dipped to around 95 degrees. Oh, sweet, lovely breeze full of sand and scuttling desert spiders. But, I did get quite a delightful shade of brown whilst there. The proof is in the pictures at my baby sister's wedding reception that we just made it back for. I am the dark auburn-haired, brown skinned, full-figured one next to my light-haired, fair-skinned, skinny skinny sisters - maybe I really was adopted. (Maybe will scan a pic later today...)

Back to my point. I think I will just deal with my very white legs and enjoy not having to have surgery to remove melanoma spots any sooner than I will probably have to anyway. I will enjoy not increasing the already formed wrinkles that I wear as badges of honor to show my children that I have laughed, squinted, frowned and experienced life.

Here's to bringing the social standards around to being healthily pale, white and healthy instead of deliciously tan and cancerous. Who's with me? Let's go buy some sunglasses and sunscreen.