That brown glow   
   
    When I was at my local gym the other day, I walked by the rooms where the tanning beds were. I could not help but notice two people emerging from their bake looking like they had just sat on the beach in Rio for days.
    The glow coming from those people made me think – with it being the dead of winter in Maine, why should having a tan be important?
    Sure, there are some who go into the tanning bed for a little touch up on their pale skin, and then there are those who make dark chocolate look milky.
    Tanning, especially sitting or standing to get one artificially, has never made much sense to me. I have always thought people lying, or standing, or sitting in a bed to purposely get some ultraviolet rays was a little weird. I have never been able to figure out why someone would want to look like they do in summer when it is winter outside. Maybe it makes them feel warm and sweaty, like on a summer day.
    In our society, sun (and tanning bed) worshippers are not looked upon in the light of, say, someone who smokes. Many think those with a tan that would make George Hamilton jealous look healthy and youthful. People who use the tanning bed or lie out in the sun until they turn different shades of brown and red are not really looked upon in a bad light. Smoking used to be glamorous, but public opinion and society's view on smoking has moved away from that glamour. Maybe the same thing will happen with having a nice tan.
    I recently found out that, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 30 minutes in a tanning bed is equivalent to eight hours at the beach in terms of skin damage from UV rays. I rest my case.