I am definitely a cool weather person. I rarely complain about cold weather. It has to be down to the 20s or lower for me to complain that it is really cold. The 30s don't seem to bother me much. I can put on extra clothes and a coat and feel fine. I seem to be able to adapt to cold weather much more readily than hot weather. I even have a collection of sweaters that I enjoy wearing and I rarely get to wear them in this climate.
I hate it when we have an extended heat spell as we are having now. I watch the weather on television and see the streak of 100+ days forecasted and I moan aloud, thinking about how hot it will be and how we cannot seem to get out of this spell. I long for a rainy day, one of those old fashioned rainy days when it would rain all day long, a long steady slow rain with clouds in the sky the entire day. I long for a rainy cool day, one that would be great for staying inside and watching it rain and maybe making some chili or stew or soup. I like that kind of day and we have one now and then in the winter but rarely in the summer.
There have been times in my life when I longed for sunshine. I cannot recall that many, having lived in Texas just about all my life and our sunny hot days outnumber our cloudy cold days by many times over. There was a time period back in the 1970s when I was a school teacher and we lived in the Houston area. The clouds covered us for about two weeks and finally when the sun broke through people literally went outdoors and cheered. I guess a long period of cloudiness would have that effect on us just as these cloudless hot days make us long for a break in the heat.
I know many sayings and scriptures that make comment on such times in life. Some say to be content with whatever state in life you may find yourself. Others say that there are seasons to life and life will be like this. Some say to give thanks in all things. So, I should be able to just say this is the way it should be and be content with the present situation but a part of me wants to have it otherwise. I am happy we have the modern invention of air conditioning to make the heat more tolerable because I know people who do not have it in their homes and their lives are fairly miserable for our long, hot summers. I know people who live in other parts of the country where air conditioning is not the norm in their homes because they usually do not need it but then a heat streak hits them and they must suffer through it without the aid of this modern wonder of life.
It has been hot in years past. There are historical records to prove that. It just seems like this summer started earlier and will not let go. Who knows hot long it will hang on, especially when our norm in hot weather is for July and August to be our hottest months--so we still have a long way to go until the autumn winds begin to blow. We humans tend to want things to be our way. We want it to be our way now. We want things to be comfortable and we want to be content always. Perhaps life is not intended to be that way. Maybe we are supposed to have things not be our way sometimes so that we can appreciate all the times when they do go our way. Maybe we experience life as it is and when the bumps in the road come along then we learn patience and endurance in the face of the trials.
I will continue to prefer cooler weather. That is just the way I am wired. I have heard that there actually exists people who like hot weather. I am glad that they are getting their share of their kind of weather. Maybe one day the tables will turn and all of us cold weather folks will have it our way again. Until then, I will try to hibernate in air conditioned places when I can and not complain too loudly when I am out in the hot Texas heat. Enjoy every day to its fullest because every day is a gift.
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