Friday, February 21, 2003

mmmmmmmm, we are having perfect weather right now.  I just snuck outside for lunch today.   Omg, I absolutely adore living here.  It's 82°F and bright beautiful blue breezy skies.  Heh, now I'm ready for a nap.  ;)

I'm kind of curious about all you smokers out there.  How do you reconcile smoking in your mind?  I mean, you know it's harmful (potentially lethal), yet you still do it.  Do you just put that part of your thought processes in denial?  Do you attempt to rationalize that it's healthier than getting stressed out and shooting someone?

The reason I ask is that I love to be outdoors in the sun sometimes, yet supposedly it is harmful to me.  I just took an extended lunch (it's slow today and I have my cell phone ;)) outside in the sun.  Gasp!!!  I know it's so wrong, but....  It feels so good to have the sun heating up my body, while a brisk breeze blows over me, cooling me off.  I am by no means deeply tanned --- it's more of a golden-hued dusting.  I watch very closely to make sure that I never burn.

The leading theory on skin cancer (not to mention aging) right now is that the sun causes it.  I have done extensive reading into many different studies done about skin cancer.  I am a firm believer in the holistic approach, meaning that there isn't one root cause per se, it's more of your body is healthy (both mentally & physically) or it isn't.  If it isn't, then it's more susceptible to a wide range of illnesses and cancers.  So if your immunity is weakened already, then the sun (among other things) may be harmful.  It's why I am a staunch supporter of getting a good night's rest.  As one of my favorite characters, Jason Bourne, says, "Rest is a weapon."

If you've been reading my whispers for any length of time, then you know I have battled with skin cancer a bit.  The more I've read up on it, the more I think it goes back to the many, many x-rays I had as a kid.  It seems that kind of radiation (15 years or so ago) can be more harmful than the sun's rays.  Anyway, I kind of wonder if I read only what I wanted to read in order to rationalize why it's okay to let the sun shine on me.  And, I really have no justification about the aging process.  I like to live for today with an eye on the future.  My eyes seem to have a scotoma about that.