I am not an outdoorsy person. I do not mind going for a walk or something every now and then but it is not a constant thing. In the last few days I have come to the conclusion that outside does not like me very much.

The first problem I encountered was sunburn. I hung out with friends, socially distant of course, and I laid out in the sun. I know I burn easily as I have very fair skin, but in that moment I did not think of the possibility of getting a burn. When I got home my family noted a pink tinge to my skin that kept getting darker. When they pointed it out, I started to feel it. I had been wearing a tank top and shorts so the entirety of my arms and legs were burnt. I was in pain for a couple days, and I was uncomfortable in anything longer than a tank top which made work difficult because the uniform is a Polo. The burn eventually stopped hurting however it then started to peel which was a whole other issue.

Once I got over the burn I began hanging outside again. I started to note a few mosquito bites here and there, but did not think much about it. That was until one night when my friends and I sat out in lawn chairs for a few hours. We had put on bug spray and, besides the occasional swatting of bugs, it was relatively normal. I went home and noticed nothing to be too concerned about and went to bed. I awoke the next morning to a horrible itching on my legs. I looked down and my legs were covered in bites, mosquito bites to be exact. I counted all of the ones on my legs and eventually felt some on my back and arms. In total I had approximately 31 bites covering my body. The bites varied in size and shape, and some were extremely swollen. It was difficult  to wear normal clothes for awhile, as everything rubbed the bites in the wrong way. I still have them, and cannot seem to rid my self of them.

Another general issue that I have with outside is bees and wasps. I can handle spiders, ants and beetles but when it comes to me I am running away in the opposite direction screaming. I am allergic to a bee sting, which my family and I discovered when I was stung as a little kid. I think that is where my fear stemmed and has just worsened since. However bees and wasps tend to like my car. I do not know why but they do. I was doing a car circle with a group of people and I noticed a large wasp kept circling my Jeep. I quickly got up and ran away until it left my vehicle alone. I understand every creature has its’ own purpose in the wild but my experiences with some of those creatures have impacted me in negative ways.

To summarize, my body and outside have not been getting along. I can only hope the relationship gets better but as I sit here with 31 bug bites I cannot give an estimation as to when that would be. However, I can say you will be able to find me curled up on the couch for the next couple days while I wait for these bites to calm down. I can mend my relationship with outside by preparing myself for it with things like sunscreen and bug spray however it has to sit on the back burner for now while I get over its’ latest causality.