It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

This and That and (unasked for ) Advice



As I write this, while enjoying a bowl of fresh ice cream from Volta ( banana split and chocolate suiso) I will tell you about the  day that started out with tension and worry and one that is closing on a high note, a cheerful, relieved and happy high note..

A long time ago, I had skin cancer.
I see a doctor every 6 months, I have been fine.
Then we came to the Sunny city of Buenos Aires... where the sun shines closer , hotter and for more days than anywhere else but Mars.
( yes, I made all of that up)
But that is the way it feels.

The air is clear and clean, there are clouds in the distance that promise a thunder storm later but the sky over our neighbourhood is ridiculously blue.
And the sun is shining brightly.
There are people in the parks who appreciate that sun, they sit in small bits of clothing and lean back in their chairs, faces tilted toward the sun, oiled skin offered up for a bit of cooking.
Most of these people have skin that closely resembles a really good piece of leather .. brown, many lines and wrinkles and soft.
Being one of those people who does tan but also freckles and whose hair turns white in the sun, and let's not forget, who has had skin cancer already... I am not to be found, lying in the sun all greased up and wearing very little.

Regardless of all my precautions, seeing a dermatologist twice a year, there are scares that pop up now and then.
And we had a scare this past month.
I found a little dark mole that didn't seem to be quite right.
I was suddenly filled with dread ... another surgery ? another scar ? more scary times spent waiting for results of biopsies ?

So today we went to the doctor and sat and waited ... we were walk-ins .
We sat for about 3 hours before we got to see her.
My nerves were strung tight ..
I was so happy to be called in to see her.
I told her what and where ..
She looked and laughed and  said it is nothing.

How much do I love her?

I was surprised when she said that the little bitty red spot that I thought was a bug bite was suspicious and I have to see her in a month.
If it is the same or worse, it gets biopsied.
I can deal with that.
I guess I will get to hang out with that handsome Head of Heart Surgery who took care of my last Bad Spot Removal.

So please, listen to me .. a blue eyed blonde who freckles and tans easily .. Don't lie in the sun.
Don't lie in the sun, don't deliberately get sunburned .. it will all come back to bite you one day and you will kick yourself for not listening to me .

I have finished my ice cream ... time to get a cuppa tea.

There is a store here in Palermo Soho called Paul.
Paul is a designer. He designs hotels, furniture , you name it.
He also has a fabulous shop that sells everything from Tea ( in a glass greenhouse ) connected to his flower shop connected to his shop.
The tea brand name is Tealosophy.
Our favorite tea which I am going to stock up on this weekend is Taj Mahal.
It smells as good as it tastes, I look forward to sipping cups and cups of it this winter.

Speaking of Winter ... Fall is showing itself here with cool nights.
We have not had the air conditioner on for 2 nights. Hallelujah !

No matter that today is hot and I am eating ice cream .. tonight will be breezy and cool .. if you ever dreamt of visiting Buenos Aires, the time is right .. come visit now.

4 comments:

  1. I'm a maniac about sunscreen.

    A few trips to Florida as a child with insufficient sun protection landed me in the hospital twice.

    SIGH.

    I'm probably doomed already.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do know that doomed feeling but we can fight if off for as long as possible.
    besitos..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good advice. I was lucky to inherit the Italian skin, but not lucky enough to be wise in my early years of sunning on the beach in California or near the pool in Arizona. Moving to Texas eliminated my desire to be in the sun - too hot and too humid, but the early damage was done. Now in France I cover myself with long sleeves and lots of sun block.

    I'm loving the new music - Edith Piaf suits me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Keir, so glad you like Piaf !
    Yes, I know exactly what you mean, a childhood spent in Hawaii, So. California and North Carolina, did me no good when it came to skin and freckles and sunburns.
    And now here I am in Argentina !
    Glutton for punishment :)

    ReplyDelete

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