I've really never been a hat person. It's not that I have anything against them on other people. It's just that (despite reassurances from well-meaning friends and family) I've just always thought they looked silly on me. But I think I've finally reached the point where I have to get over that.
Remember the sunburn I told you about? I said that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and that was true. In fact, it wasn't really that bad at all, especially when compared to what I've had before. The only part that was really bad was the top of my head where my hair is parted.
Now, sunburns in general are frustrating and annoying. They hurt. They itch. They make us feel silly for getting them in the first place, because we know how to prevent them and should have been more careful. (That's me, anyway.) But a sunburn on the top of the head... I have to say that's one of the more annoying places to be burned.
I couldn't put the After Sun Lotion on it. 'Cause, you know, then I'd be putting lotion in my hair, and that wouldn't have worked out well. So while the rest of my body recovered without too much trouble, the top of my head is now starting to peel. And itch. And irritate the heck out of me.
Mind you, this is not the first time the top of my head has been sunburned. (It's happened more times than I'd like to admit, actually.) And every time it does, I whine about it, and my husband reminds me again that I should have worn a hat. And I say something to the effect of "Yeah, yeah. I know." It's one of those cycles we've been going through for years.
But last night, as I sat desperately trying to resist scratching my itchy peeling head, it occurred to me how ridiculous the whole situation is. And I wondered, how important is it whether I think (or other people think, for that matter) wearing a hat makes me look silly?
I've decided that I'm old enough now that stuff like that shouldn't matter any more. (I know, it really shouldn't have mattered before either, but it did, so I'm just going to have to move on from here.) But more importantly, I've decided that taking better care of myself, and protecting myself from harm, is much more important than worrying about what it might look like.
Sure, I'm still hoping that I can find something cute, that doesn't look too silly. But one way or the other, I'm going to have to try to become a hat person. Wish me luck!
I love my hats! I feel lost when I'm outside without one. The bonus to that is that my daughters are now all hat lovers as well. Good luck on finding the right hat.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, the sillier the better. :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I wish hats would come back into fashion full-force. I make hats to donate to the chemo ward where I took treatments, and I've gotten pretty good & faster at making really pretty ones. I want them to be beautiful as well as functional. When I asked my hubby's reaction to one I thought was particularly stylish, "What would you think if you saw a woman wearing this?" He answered, "I'd think it's really sad what she's going through." *I* think it's sad that we see hats as defining a necessary, usually unpleasant function. I want to see hats as an (perhaps necessary) opportunity to express ourselves. Pick a couple of coolly shading, fun statements to wear!