COLUMN: Find your lobster, don't look like one

One of my favorite episodes of “Friends” is “The One with the Prom Video” (Season 2, Episode 14). It’s during this episode that Phoebe reveals her lobster theory.

Though Rachel tells Ross they’ll never be together, Phoebe tells him not to fret because it’s going to happen. When Ross asks how she knows that, Phoebe simply responds, “Because she’s your lobster.”

Phoebe goes on to say it’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life.

“You can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank, you know, holding claws,” she says, while fashioning her hands into the shape of locked lobster claws.

While being someone’s “lobster” is great, looking like a lobster isn’t — and I would know.

For the past few days, I’ve been reminded of lobsters (and the lobster episode) every time I look in the mirror.

The first few days of spring brought in some beautiful weather, and with it came the urge to go outside. I spent over three hours Sunday on a disc golf course with my husband and some friends, and we all had a great time. The sky was blue, the temperature was high and the sun was shining brightly. We were all sporting our T-shirts (minus jackets). Some of us had shorts on. Some of us even remembered our sunglasses. But there is one thing we all forgot.

Sunscreen.

From my elbows down, my arms have a little more color than they used to, but the most notable evidence that I did not wear sunscreen is found on my face. As pasty and pale as it normally is, I’m surprised I didn’t stop traffic (on Sunday at least) with the red radiating from my cheeks, nose and forehead.

I even opted to wear my glasses to work Monday instead of contacts to try to camouflage the white line across my nose from my sunglasses.

The sun and its harmful rays seem to sneak up on me every year. Last year it happened during an Earth Day field trip to the community park. This year it happened even earlier.

I hope that next year (and certainly for the rest of this one) I’ll remember to slap on some SPF. The sun exposure can physically hurt now and hurt even worse later, and I find it hard to believe anyone wants that.

The smartest people make sunscreen a part of their daily routine. I know it’s difficult to remember to do something every day, so at the very least I’d advise you to protect your skin with sunscreen when there’s even the slightest chance you’ll be outside.

My hope is that by not spending time looking like a lobster, you might be able to find one to call your very own.