Thursday, May 5, 2011

dear 17-year-old self

dear 17-year-old self,

put on the freaking sunscreen.
just do it.
yes, it takes forever.
wah.

do not lie and tell your mother
that you put on sunscreen
when you in fact did not.
put on the freaking sunscreen.

do not use baby oil as suntan lotion.
even if your friends do.
or crisco oil.
yes, i am telling you, crisco oil
as suntan lotion may be the
stupidest idea you will ever dream up.
for real.

do not burn yourself because
you think it will turn into a tan.
do not go to the tanning bed
because you get a summer job
at an office where all the other
ladies go tanning everyday at lunch.
you are smarter than that.

put sunscreen on your face.
because one day,
one day soon,
you will have a spot removed,
and by removed,
i mean,
SHAVED OFF OF YOUR FACE
AND THEN LASERED.
and you will have to wait two weeks
to find out if you have ruined
your skin forever.

and it will be a long two weeks.
so.
just wear the freaking sunscreen, mkay?

xo,
pj
aka your 39-year-old self

p.s.  please read this to your 11-year-old brother.

1 comment:

Bonnie said...

I never did the tanning thing but was outside and at the pool every day. My nose was always scabbed. I never did sunscreen (did they even have it then) (and wouldn't if they had) I have had a thing removed by a surgeon, a thing shaved off and 2 weeks ago a quarter sized thing frozen on my cheek. So far so good. Age does it too, but of course sun doesn't help.