Sunscreen Optional

I know that 'sunlight' is practically a dirty word these days.

It is up there somewhere with plastic grocery bags and Sport Utility Vehicles to a lot of super savvy folks who, I am sure, are a lot smarter than a silly girl like me.....BUT.....

I love the sun.

When I travel with my husband you can bet my first questions will be What is the temperature there? and Is there a pool?

I get giddy over packing up to head to the pool for a day. Ipod, magazine, new book and tanning lotion in hand. There is something about the smell of water, wet cement, and coconut tanning oil that makes me feel like a kid again, without a care in the world to trouble me. I have reached the super intelligent conclusion that it is because I worshiped the sun as a little girl.

Warm days were spent at Grandma's pool in West Covina with the palm trees barely fluttering in the breeze. I would lay with my head in my arms and watch my skin get darker, like a badge of honor in relaxation.

I would let my hair dry crazy and curly, fascinated over it's lighter streaks that peeked out. In the pool I was a mermaid or weightless ballerina, and my short curly hair was magically longer and silky. The pool meant playing, thinking, imagining, and escaping.

That's me, in the middle. Oh, how I loved that patchwork swimsuit.

It's funny, because I know as adults we can pine over the 'not so perfect' bits of our childhood, but seeing the smiles in this picture and thinking about days by the pool with my family, usually singing and dancing as well as swimming, just remind me of how wonderful the sunshine filled everyday moments really are...

........which is why I am on the eternal quest for sunshine and a pool.

Sunscreen optional.