One summer shortly after my father died and two of my sisters were coming home from college for the summer, my mother got the idea for the four of us to go to Hawaii and live for the summer. We all got jobs and had a blast. While there, I took one surfing lesson.
Several years later, we all returned. I was a junior in high school and all of my siblings were married. I told my brother-in-law that I knew how to surf and that I could teach him. Isn't that just like a 16-year-old to think that one lesson in anything makes you an expert?!
So, he was dumb enough to believe me, and we rented surf boards and headed out to catch a wave. Why it didn't dawn on either of us that no one else was out surfing is still puzzling to me. They weren't out surfing because the tide was going out, not in.
Well, the tide took us farther and farther out until we were way too far from shore. I guess he finally grabbed a clue and said we had to try and get back to shore.
On top of it all, this was back in the early 80's when everyone used to put oil on their bodies from head to toe. I was no exception. I am naturally fair skinned with red hair. Now, I did not have a tan base, and I bet you can guess what happened to me. Yes, second degree burns from my neck down to my ankles!
It's funny now, but let me tell you, it was not funny then. My ankles swelled, and I couldn't sit down at all. It also hurt to stand because my skin made this horrible tingly feeling in my feet. Nothing could touch me, and the doctor made me put this junk all over every night and scrub off the old with a washcloth. There are no words in any language that will ever be able to describe the pain that I felt.
There's really no point to this story except to tell you that when a 16-year-old tells you anything, question the sanity of it!
Blessings,
Penny
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