TAN LINES

Today after work, before my long time sitting at Panera, I decided to sit outside for awhile. I thought it would be nice to break up the time a little bit and also maybe get a little sun. However, I was very hot, very quickly and needed to move to the shade. I was also worried about sitting in the sun for long since I didn't have sunscreen on (except on my face). Plus, I didn't want funny tan lines, so I took off my watch and pulled my sleeves up to my shoulders. I am worried about looking funny because of awkward tan lines, yet I looked just as funny sitting there. I am a bit strange, I think. But I never really know how to avoid awkward tan lines. I try to either roll up my sleeves or wear sleeveless shirts when I am hiking or doing something outside for a long time, to avoid the mid-arm color change. And if I remember, I don't wear a watch. But then when it comes time to wearing a nice dress for a wedding or something, I still feel uneven, with dark arms that fade upward to a more pale neck area. I don't go tanning and don't spend much time just laying out in the sun, but that seems like the only way to assure non-funny lines. As I kid I loved it, and would compare my dark arms to my stomach and marvel at how tan I had become. I would even occasionally win the "most tan" contest my sister and I had (all while wearing sunscreen daily, by the way). But now, I just want a summer tan that is even, but without being unhealthy to my skin (I still wear sunscreen).