Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart. . . .—Proverbs 15:30 (niv)
Hmm . . . I think I look a little overdone,” my daughter Lindsay texted me one morning. I smiled because I, too, looked overdone.
The day before, my two daughters and I had tried out a new spray tan applicator that Lindsay got for her birthday. The color seemed fine when we finished, but all three of us woke up shocked to see how our fake tans had grown darker overnight.
It would have been simply funny if we were not all headed to the same event that morning where we were bound to triple the effect . . . and feel self-conscious. That’s why we started a three-way texting conversation. “Google how to lighten us up,” I begged.
“Use baby oil,” one responded.
“I heard you can use lemon juice and baking soda.”
“Of course that will work because it takes off the top layer of skin.”
Later, as we walked into the event, we got the predicted responses. “Have you been to the Islands?” “Wow! What happened?” “You look great! What have you done?” which only made me feel more self-conscious because “looking great” obviously meant I didn’t look like myself.
Over the next several days, the color came off slowly ...on my towels, clothes, pillowcase. Mostly I now smile at the memory of the experience, which challenged me to lighten up while walking around with an overdone tan.
