I’ve been getting a lot of sunshine these past few days. For a few days, I got to do some nude sunbathing as I mentioned in a previous post. For the past two days, I got to do some nude frolicking in the surf near the same spot as I went sunbathing. Frolicking might not be the best descriptor – being battered around by the powerful surf is a more apt description. My wife and I call the event “free, deep-tissue massage.”
Because the tide is always shifting, the times for our beach hikes is constantly changing. However, in spite of our best efforts to walk at low tide, we have been edging closer and closer to high tide and walking in the heat of the day. Upon our return to our apartment, a quick cold shower, followed by a cerveza con limon [beer with lime added] is enjoyed. Now, with the sun beating down on the patio, we are chased inside for some relief from the sun. The skin can only take so much sun – besides, I really don’t want to put on any more sunscreen today.
It’s all about balance – sun and shadow in equal parts. And that goes for our psychological aspect. Too much of either has a cost to mental health. Too much light in one’s life leads to burnout. For me, that meant too much of being in the outer world, the ego world. Introverts need time in the shadow world, the inner “imaginal” world. However too much of this invariably leads me to slip into a depression. Again, the task is to find that balance point and have one’s lived life dance between the light and the shadows.
In literal terms, that balance has allowed me to avoid getting a sunburn.