Spring has Sprung!

Clever title, huh? I had a hard time reigning in my creative juices with that one. It was between that title or "Happy Spring." But something about the alliteration made the chosen title slightly more desirable.

But let's just get really excited here for a minute. Because TODAY is the FIRST day of spring!!!

We all know what spring means, right? The arrival of spring means that it's time to finally shed that winter coat. And by "shed that winter coat" I mean I have to start shaving my legs on a regular basis again. Seriously.

My lower limbs haven't seen the light of day since sometime back in November, except for that one time I had to visit the, ahem, OB/Gyn for my annual visit. And that's all I'm going to say on THAT matter. Except that I did shave that day. Because no way was I going to expose Chewbacca legs to two complete strangers.

Besides that doctor visit and showering, my legs have been mercifully covered by all manner of leg wear: pants, jeans, tights, etc. Alas, Texas is getting MUCH too warm for this style of apparel.

Which brings me to my yearly quandry. When, exactly, do I begin the process of exposing my legs to the sun, yea even to other PEOPLE who appreciate SIGHT?

I was cursed with skin that absolutely refuses to color. I'm not albino, but pretty close. Saying I'm "fair" doesn't even begin to describe it, although somebody actually called me peaked once. Not only am I white as a ghost, but I also look sickly to boot? Thanks.

I'm the type of person that can hardly find foundation in a pale enough shade.

Not only do I not tan under normal Texas sun circumstances, but I refuse to go to tanning beds because I have several of the indicators that put me at high risk for skin cancer (fair skin, light eyes, and family history). Plus, I'm not too keen on frying up my inner parts. I'm still using them for now.

When I do get sun, it's burn, baby, burn. Then I peel the layers all the way back to white. Except for all the freckles. If I'm really lucky, the sheer amount of freckles dotting my skin begin to run together and look like some sort of mottled tan.

So back to my dilemma. I face it every year. Do I just uncover for unlimited amounts of time each day and pray I don't get sued for the eye damage someone might experience if they stare at my legs too long? It's like looking directly into the sun.

Or do I expose them for just a few minutes at a time until everyone has adjusted to the glare?

It's exactly like entering a really cold swimming pool. It doesn't matter if you jump in quickly or lower your body in slowly. The result is the same. The pool doesn't get any warmer- your body adjusts.

My legs aren't going to get any darker no matter what I do, so my best defense is probably to just embrace the Season of the Self-Tanner. Until November when I can cover them up again.