Sunshine therapy

The sun is a life giving force but many people are forced to live without it for many a good month in the year. Those of us who live in the northern hemisphere experience something called winter.

People who live in more southerly climes have no clue as to what it is to be cold. Frost, snow, fog and biting winds are things that they’ve only seen on TV. Warm winds, swaying palm trees, parrot-blue skies, torrents of tropical rain are all they know.

The sun throws its ultra-violet rays down on this planet but not all of us can bask in its rays.


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Too much of the grey

We suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as depression and deprivation assail us.  In winter, our complexions are lacklustre and there’s a heaviness in our posture that’s reflected in our hearts.

Our bodies crave the sun and it’s good for us. People go to extraordinary lengths to work on their tan. Fake bake is all the rage despite the damage it does to light skin. Pale is unhealthy but artificial tanning could be life-threatening It’s good to walk on the light side.

People who live in warm climates don’t appreciate what they have – glorious yellow stuff pouring forth from the heavens. The sun is a friend and foe.

Vitamin D

For starters, you can’t get too close as it burns. It’s rays are fierce and you’ll feel sticky if there’s high humidity or you’ll feel as if you’re trapped in an oven. People with little melanin in their skin (white) take a long time to absorb the rays as the lack of enough pigment repels the ultra-violet. Dark skins (black, brown and olive) absorb faster and all seems hunky dory!

But we’ve turned nature on its head. Due to the new demographics that have been created by people moving around – from town to town, country to country. As a result, brown skins are found in cold climes and white skins under burning skies.

Of course, where you choose to live is a matter of economy and taste. We are evolving into location independent people as technology affords us the convenience of screen-based working and socialising. There are no barriers to travel except to war-torn lands controlled by drug barons and corrupt governments.

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Sun love

So East has met and married West.  North and South have juxtaposed as people migrate. The world is a melting pot but some dark skins are not getting their share of the yellow stuff.

Dark skins need sunshine as much as a fish needs water. Vitamin D is a necessity and when the sun barely makes an appearance in the Northern Hemisphere dark cells feel deprived! They rebel against the greyness by giving the epidermis a sallow complexion. Sometimes they see some thin, watery light spilling from the sky that masquerades as the golden sun but it’s a poor imposter.

We want the sun; we need the sun….to touch our bodies and minds. A sun bath is just the thing to soak in after a hard day. The sun provides us with a permit to slow down, kick off our shoes and lets the breeze play with our hair. Our faces lose the grimace and there's a spring in our step.

Things go a little crazy when the yellow stuff starts streaming from the sky. People drive faster and with their tops down (ooh!), they wear shades and act cool, they dust off their speedos, bikinis, tankinis and mankinis and dare to go bare.

Big sun on the prairie

Sunshine fills every dark space showing up the cobwebs and clutter. Sunshine makes everything grow faster and summer days are long.

Our genes are screaming for some sun. They remember where they come from. Genetics pre-dispose us to sunshine.  It’s time to get a little crazy. Let’s throw caution to the wind. Until the sun decides to shine I’m holding  on to the sunshine in my head.