Yesterday I met with the staff of an organization who’s board I sit on. The weather was gorgeous so they suggested that we meet outdoors. I agreed and found a seat in partial shade. Partial being the operative word here because I came home with a pretty impressive sunburn.
I know I have pale skin and I am very susceptible to burns. When I was a teenager, I got a second degree sunburn so bad that my doctor banned me from going outside between the hours of 10am and 4pm. But I am older, and I like to think, wiser now. So why do I look like a lobster today?
The problem is that I got cocky. I don’t know about you, but I hate the way sunblock feels on my skin. When I was in Australia I was incredibly careful about wearing sunblock every time I left the hotel. I was a little less careful on my recent trip to Spain. Sure, when I knew we would be out midday, I always applied sunblock. But, I rarely slathered myself when we went outside for breakfast or when we went back out after our siesta.
Yesterday, I only expected to go from my car to the office and back. So why bother with the sunscreen? And when I was asked whether we wanted to meet outside, I figured partial shade would keep me safe. And, I had gotten away with my sun-dodging habits thus far this summer. Obviously, my luck ran out.
The experience made me think of other places in my life where I had been getting away with lax behavior. Trust me when I say that it was a sobering process. No one (or so I assume) likes to reflect on their bad habits. I found the process to be useful, if uncomfortable.
Most of my self-reflection centered around other self-care processes. I am notoriously bad about stopping what I do to eat. I tend to keep going until my blood sugar is so low that I can barely see straight and my brain feels like it is stuffed with cotton. There was one day this week where I let it get so bad that my voice was shaking.
I barely did better today. I was up at 6, at a meeting by 7 and didn’t get anything to eat until I ate some fruit at 9:30. I had been mainlining coffee because I was so tired, but the fruit perked me up more than a cup and a half of coffee did.
I would like to think something as painful and visible as my sunburn would have helped me remain mindful of the need to take care of my body. But I think my poor eating habits are all about the way I disconnect my mind from my body. So today I am committing to try to be mindful to eat at regular intervals. Hopefully once I get my mind on the same page as my body I will be able to start building good eating habits.