A Year of Blogging: June 27, 2011

June 27 is Sun Glasses Day. That makes sense, we are a week into summer, and sunglasses are one of the 'must haves' for summer. In my case, sunglasses are a must have all year round. I wear sunglasses practically every day. The only days I don't wear sunglasses are the days that it's really dark and rainy. I mean really dark. The skies are black, you have to have your headlights on in the middle of the day. If it's a gray day, I still wear sunglasses. Wearing sunglasses is something my father was very serious about. When he and Mom were first married, Dad worked for the county highway department. In the winter, he drove snow plow. Dad got snow-blindness from the snow. The sun's rays bouncing back off of the pure white snow are sometimes worse than a sunny day in the middle of July. From that point on, Dad has had to wear glasses. So he stressed that we needed to protect our eyes and wear sunglasses. Thankfully, I do not have to wear glasses for driving, so right now I'm able to wear cheap sunglasses. I do buy ones that protect against UV rays and are polarized to reduce the glare off of other cars. Have you ever noticed that you can't lose a cheap pair of sunglasses? And how quickly you can lose an expensive pair? When I was in college, and had some extra money one summer, I went to The Sunglass Hut. I bought a nice pair of Ray-Bans. I dropped a couple weeks' pay on the sunglasses, thinking it was justified because they would last for years. I lost the sunglasses by the end of the summer, and found myself at the rack in Walmart looking for a replacement pair. Now I just save myself the trouble and head straight to Target. The pair I currently wear I've had for four or five years. I've dropped them more times than I can count, they've been tossed around in the car and my purse, and they are still great. I don't shop for sunglasses often, because I'm very particular about sunglasses. I think I spend more time buying a pair of sunglasses, even cheap ones, than I do picking out a purse or a pair of shoes. They need to be big enough to cover my eyes completely, and my peripheral vision. Yet I don't want to look like a fly! The lenses need to be dark enough so I'm not squinting on the sunniest days. As I already mentioned, they have to be polarized and protect against UV rays. Of course, if they look good, that's a bonus! When you step out today, grab those sunglasses! And remember- they aren't just for bright sunny days!