Sunscreen and Spic-N-Span

It was green and grainy and made a whining sound when scrubbed into the kitchen sink. Its cylindrical cardboard container perfectly matched to the color of the product inside. - Comet

It is as clear as water yet its smell is pungent and deadly and feels slimy as it crosses your skin. - Clorox

It was orange but yet had not a citrus scent but the distinct smell of Spic-N-Span! 

My grandmother was a neat freak with a million knick-knacks (I am not really sure how the two went hand in hand)! I grew up under her cleaning guidance in a small two bedroom apartment with gold carpeting and shortly after my dad's mauve pants phase. There were four of us in this home, and it was truly a home. It was comfortable, clean, and full of love. However, our home was not that way by accident, and we were all required to play our part to be sure that it stayed that way. From making beds and putting clothes away, to washing dishes, dusting (all those fragile things), and even scrubbing baseboards, we all had a role and were taught responsibility early on. 

Now, having grown up under this amazing guidance, I am not as neat as I should be, though I blame a lot of that on my husband and his baseline hoarding and our menagerie of animals, and I don't do all of the things that my grandma taught me were "required". For example, making your bed every day - Why?!?! I am just going to get back into it soon. However, I still hold many of the same values, and I think that is where I have gotten my penance for not being able to leave the house before vacation without it being clean or else I break out in hives. Thus, I have spent a huge amount of time in the last weeks doing every menial task that you could think of (it also helps that I am on summer break): scrubbing baseboards, cleaning walls, hand scrubbing grout, etc. and now it is almost done, and it feels like I can breathe again! It is amazing how a good scrubbing can help you with feeling more put together, cleaner, and more sane. 

Additionally, this week, I was reminded that sunscreen is super important. Just before this vacation to celebrate birthdays, hang out with my absolutely insane family and friends, and enjoy time being together, it was determined I needed a biopsy. Now, I am not a regular "tanner", I don't spend hours in the sun on a regular basis without sunscreen, and I only used a tanning bed regularly on a short term basis - preparing for a wedding or summer vacation. However, I was born transparent and have a tendency of getting a bit "crispy" if I don't pay attention to my sun exposure.
As I wait for my results, I remind each of you to lather on the sunscreen and if you must be tan, do it with a self tanner or airbrush tan. Remember to reapply and pay attention to what your skin and body are telling you. Society tells us, at the present time, that tan is the only acceptable color for us folks born lacking pigmentation and that is without care and concern for your long term health beyond that imminent brown glow. Take care of yourself because in the end society won't be the one paying for your biopsy and/or treatment.