Light reactions
I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think I might be photosynthetic.
Or solar powered or something.
Today I awoke feeling groggy and less than wonderful. In fact, it felt a bit like a manatee had ambled onto my chest and decided to stay there awhile (manatees can too amble). The temptation to roll over and sleep a few more hours was great indeed.
However, I have a little thing called my 10-year high school reunion coming up, and if I don't start exercising now I risk ridicule and/or pity from my former classmates. ("She says she's Samantha, but she looks more like a manatee.") So, even though it was miserably hot outside, I dragged myself from bed, guzzled a giant glass of artificially sweetened tea, threw on my walking gear and hit the road. Destination: nowhere in particular.
Holy hell was it blistering out. I found myself skipping past my usual workout songs on the old iPod in favor of slower, cooler tunes (Dido, David Gray, Sea and Cake). Believe it or not that helped. Still, it was really damned hot. As I walked past the cafe near my apartment, the people sipping their mojitos in the shade casually glanced at the pale form working its way down the shadier of the two sidewalks. ("Look, Ashley, a baby manatee. In cheap sunglasses. Should we call Animal Control?")
I managed to walk 2 miles in less than 30 minutes before looking at the handy clock on the iPod and realizing I'd be late for work if I didn't hustle back. So I hustled, and I'm sure it wasn't pretty.
I must say the shower I took upon returning to my deliciously over-cooled apartment was most satisfying. Cold water, awesome-smelling Aveda bath crap ... aaah. Sometimes I wish I could spend the whole day in the shower, but that wouldn't be very productive.
Anyway, I got to work and felt more invigorated than I had in weeks, months even. I'd only had a little more sleep than usual, and I'd consumed my normal amount of tea. So I'm attributing my glorious energy to the sun. This isn't the first time I've been reanimated after a sunny walk. I honestly think my body needs sun beyond the little bit it uses to make vitamin D. Today my skin got an extra dose because in my blurry rush to get out the door I forgot to apply sunscreen (bad manatee!). The result: pink euphoria.
