Sandy Hook Beach - New Jersey

Fun in the Sun?


When we awoke, it was like the monsoon from the night before had been a figment of our imaginations. It was a beautiful morning for Dunkin' Donuts on the deck as we prepared for our day at the beach. Our first stop was the 9/11 memorial. It may have been in my blog from a couple of years back, but it is always a very humbling reminder to me of all that I have to be thankful for. Here is what the website (http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?ID=2495) says, "

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook
460 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716

Monmouth County's 9/11 Memorial has three symbolic components: a timeline walkway to recollect the day’s events; a stone base carved with the names, ages and hometowns of the county residents who lost their lives; and an eagle sculpture with a beam from one of the fallen towers."

Having served an assistant scoutmaster these last couple of years, the symbol of the eagle is very powerful to me. When our boy scouts complete all of the work that is required for them to become Eagle Scouts, I feel our Scouts have become men. Also, not only does it connote the American spirit, or what we hope the American spirit is all about, it makes me think of all of the noble character traits that we try to infuse into our Scouts, and students for that matter: respect, responsibility, citizenship, loyalty, trustworthiness, caring and compassion. And these are beliefs that are difficult to explain to someone else because they are more like emotions, intangible... unlike, yet kind of like, skin care.

I hate to generalize because I know that there are always exceptions to the rule, but often times I wonder if we in America take care of our skins like they do in other parts of the world. Growing up in a family with eczema and psoriasis, we were encouraged to get our skin out in the healing sun. I remember when we were bold teens, we used to use tanning oils or baby oil to enhance our deep, dark tans. Oh my! I was reminded of this when I saw these pictures. In one of the pictures above is of my cousin Asa taking a picture for a couple on the beach. I think that this shows the huge discrepancy between how those of us from the US protect ourselves from the sun (little) and how those in Australia do (much). I was amazed that my little cousins wore rash guards as they swam and frolicked on the beach because they are required to in Australia. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will contract skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Wow! Our amazing school nurse even did a program with our students this year to help them understand the damage the sun can do to their skin over time. With all of this information readily available, I, for one will start taking better care of my skin for a long time to come and, in the same spirit, will have fewer donuts to begin my day!