Summertime
My daughter Sally and I were two of the few people at the pool party wearing body-revealing bathing suits, plus my granddaughter who’s almost 2 1/2 in her red strappy one-piece. Her hair is so high-lighted from many hours at the pool that it looks like a salon treatment. I did warn Sally earlier this summer to be sure to slather sunscreen on herself as well as her daughter to avoid getting the sunspots I earned from summer days in the last century when Ban de Soliel was popular, along with baby oil mixed with iodine for a nice reddish glow. White girls would go to any lengths. My motherly warnings notwithstanding, I remain a devout tanner. I’m sure I’m still under the influence of all those pretty Black girls I went to high school with — ranging from the darkest hues to honey-tones and just off-white. You can’t shake those formative years.
So every summer, no matter what, I stock up on sunscreen and apply it liberally prior to every walk or other outdoor activity. I now wear sun visors too. But when my friend Joyce asked me over the phone if I was “avoiding the heat,” I knew our friendship was doomed — or at least compromised. I had a similar reaction to another (former) friend who wore socks with her sandals, long sleeves and a hat at the slightest hint of sunshine. No, I’m not avoiding the heat. Mercifully, I don’t have asthma or any other respiratory ailment that causes extreme heat sensitivity. I also don’t mind a good sweat. I typically wear athletic shorts with built-in underwear, a sports bra and tank top (I can’t bring myself to hit the streets wearing only a bra top like girls in their teens and twenties do). I click on my fanny pack with cell phone tucked inside so I can log my mileage. I might head down Capitol Hill towards the Botanic Gardens (clean bathrooms) and the Mall or to the waterfront where party boats blast hip-hop or if I’ve got somewhere to go downtown I’ll plan to walk partway home afterwards. This is particularly inspiring for doctors appointments: you can imagine the route you’ll walk rather than focusing on the appointment itself. A stop at Whole Foods for lunch is also a good distraction and a treat. Maybe a holdover from being a kid and getting rewarded for being a good girl in the doctors or dentists office.
Other families at the pool party kept their children in those long-sleeved swimsuits. Some of the moms and dads hung back along the edges of the pool area, out of the sun. A few braved the water and played with their kids. I’m sure I was judging them as I imagined them judging me and my daughter and granddaughter for our seemingly foolish flaunting of known dangers from UV rays. This is something I talk about a lot with my adult children — not only related to sun exposure but life exposure. At 72, I don’t want to join the club of fear, the places where danger lurks around every corner. I don’t always want to play it safe. And I always want to get a good tan, every summer.
