Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows everywhere....

Too much of a good thing or nothing at all. That seems to be the way we live today. We find out that something isn’t good for us, so we ban it completely – only to find out that we do need it or can enjoy it, but just in moderate quantities.

Take the sun, for instance. Skin cancer is a reality. We can’t deny that. But we also can’t stay out of the sun completely because we need the sun. We need the vitamin D that the sun provides to us. This article, Vitamin D, gives a good overview of what the sun really does for us and why we need it.

Studies over the past few years have shown how important this vitamin is. In 2007, the American Journal of Preventative Medicine published a study that concluded 10 to 15 minutes in the sun plus 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D and a healthy diet could reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer by two-thirds. The rate of breast cancer also seemed to decrease significantly.

In December 2006, another study found that the incidence of multiple sclerosis seemed to decrease in patients with higher levels of vitamin D. There are other benefits too. In 2004, researchers undertook a preliminary study in which they found that children who were exposed to regular sunlight had fewer colds than their counterparts who didn’t get that exposure.

Of course, we still need to be careful. We have to remember that too much of a good thing may not be good. Don’t stay in the sun too long, don’t get yourself sunburned and use common sense.
And now, for those who are interested, a wrap of up my birthday yesterday:
I couldn't have asked for a better day. What's better than spending a great day outside, getting exercise and sunshine?

I'm not a great golfer. I only learned 3 years ago and I don't think it will ever be a passion, but I enjoy it because it's getting outside and walking, forcing me to relax and enjoy the sunshine. A couple that we're friends with are avid golfers and my husband has been golfing since he was a teen. So, by learning, I get to spend time with them too.

And yesterday, for the first time ever, I actually golfed a real game. I have tried over the past few years, but I just wasn't good enough to be able to keep a score throughout the 18 holes. But something happened yesterday and I *played*. I scored 135, which isn't a good score, but it is a score and I'm happy with it. I am thrilled with some of my hits and drives and it was just plain fun.

The weather was *perfect*. On Friday, it was a very hot day and we wouldn't have been comfortable playing, but the weather yesterday was perfect with a beautiful breeze.

And then dinner in my favourite restaurant was outstanding. Shrimp in whiskey sauce, atlantic salmon in herb butter, topped off with a spanish coffee. It was so good.
Today? Back to reality. But with a relaxed smile on my face.

I'm blessed.

Today’s news:
Mumps hits navy