It's a new brown spot, this spot on my hand. The spot is teeny tiny, at about 1 mm by 1.5 mm (in metric, even. don't be all impressed now, my canadian friends.) I don't remember when it first appeared. No, I think I do remember.

I was with my father, who is very paranoid about his health. Every time I see him we inevitably end up at some point having a discussion about his perceived risk of having cancer. This discussion usually is initiated by me noticing a new mole on him or asking about one that I never asked about before. He will casually remark that that old thing has been there forever and he used to lose sleep over it until he asked his physician about it and now he only worries about it when it itches. Or something to that effect. Then he will use that as a launching pad for his own new worry. Last time I saw him he was worried about a teeny tiny brown spot on his hand. about 1 mm by 1 mm. On his palm. I reassured him that it was nothing to worry about and sometimes we have these spots that are small and inconsequential but it's always good to keep on top of things.

After I saw him and had that whole conversation about brown spots and melanocytes and how unusual but not necessarily dangerous it is to have a stray melanocyte I noticed that I have a brown spot too. on my palm. A new brown spot.

I feel kind of foolish because I spent all that time poo-pooing my dear father and now I am fretting too.

It looks remarkably like a little smudge of chocolate.

This adds an additional problem. I eat chocolate every day. So now, on a daily basis I look down at my hand and see another new little brown spot on my hand and I freak out! because I think that I'm sprouting spots and I will be diagnosed with cancer on my next physician visit for sure.

but then I wipe it off. only chocolate.

whew