summer Archives %- – Rock The Wrinkle

It can render you motionless. Your brain feels like it’s an oozing blob. Your thoughts are muddled. It occurs to you that you really should get up and accomplish something; then the feeling passes.

It’s just too hot.

There are dust bunnies on top of dust bunnies. A stack of junk mail that needs to be sorted. Half-filled water bottles that should be combined and refrigerated. Car keys that are not in their right place.

But it’s just too hot.

One thing you learn as you grow older is just how far you can push your body in extreme situations. Muscles aren’t quite as elastic as they once were. Bones creak a bit more. It’s all fine, as long as you can have moments of recovery that involve liquids, shade, and a bit of protein. So you set out to hit the gym, or take a walk around the block, or tackle that hall closet that seems to have a voice of its own.

But the heat. It’s too much.

I confess to serial inertia at this time of year. Not so much with physical activities, as with mental projects. I do my work, with more frequent water breaks that are indoors. I meet my obligations. But it’s hard not to feel a creeping fatigue when the heat index is above 100 and the job on your desk is hotter than a firecracker.

The answer? Fans, and lots of them. A cooling collar for your long-haired dog. A cold rag for your neck. A screen saver on your computer that shows a snowy Colorado mountaintop.

Remember how much fun summer was when you were a kid?

It even smelled different; fresh and promising. The grass was so soft and cool beneath your bare feet. (Remember bare feet??) The sky seemed a perfect blue and the clouds were big and puffy and did not indicate a severe storm and power outage was imminent. The ice cream that the man in the MerryMobile sold you each day at noon was so cold and delicious; biting into it felt like a day on the beach. Time seemed to expand and wait for you to choose how you’d spend your afternoon.

Now it’s more of a calculated schedule: what outdoor tasks do you have to do before it’s too hot? How late in the evening can you mow the lawn?

It’s just too hot.

And it’s very important to remember that for those of us of a certain age, heat really can be deadly. The experts say our bodies can’t adjust to it as quickly as when we were young. That can be due to medicines, or chronic conditions that affect how the body regulates its temperature.

So how can you stay healthy?

• Drink lots of water. All day long. Don’t wait until you are thirsty. Yes, this might mean more trips to the bathroom, but it least it will be cool in there.

• Wear loose-fitting clothes. just be careful they don’t have giant holes in them when you have to accept that front-door delivery.

• Keep your AC maintained. This is a fun one, since I truly think the air conditioning system in my house is possessed by a demon who occasionally just shuts off a duct or two for kicks. But give it a try anyway.

• Put on a hat when you go outside. Go ahead, grab that funny looking thing off the shelf and put it on. You’ve earned the right to look a little eccentric. Wearing a hat can really help keep the sun’s heat off your noggin. You might start a trend in your neighborhood.

• Remember the sunscreen. Tanning days are over. George Hamilton is not your hero. Skin cancer is very real and can be very dangerous. Yes, we definitely grew up in the era where lying on a lounge slathered in baby oil was not only accepted, it was expected. If you really need to feel tanned, buy some bronzer.

• Take it easy. Really. Be smart about when you are outdoors and what you are doing. Even inside; too much can catch up with you.

Stay smart. Stay cool. And when someone asks you to do something you really don’t want to do, just smile and say, “It’s just too hot.”

“What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.”
— Jane Austen

It’s hot. It’s late July. Are these the “Dog Days”? I used to see that on my father’s calendar in his office and wonder what that meant…were dogs suddenly going to appear somewhere?

Now I understand. You just feel like walking around with your tongue hanging out.

It’s been a weird summer Weird weather. Weird interactions in the workday. Weird injuries. It’s frustrating because I always feel like every day is so precious and I shouldn’t waste it….I should get out there and be doing things. But sometimes I think Nature finds a way to slow us down, make us stop, and be still. Really still. Or, as a member of the clergy reminded me the other day, “put our toes in the sand.”

Sounds pretty good to me.

Already, we’re in a rush. We let Sunday advertising tell us it’s time for back to school. Put away the toys, balls, and bats kids, because it’s time to start worrying about school. Hurry up and take that vacation everybody, because it’s about to all be over. What are you waiting for? Make your reservations or forget it.

Was it this way when we were children? I can’t remember already getting depressed at the end of July.

I remember thinking in late July I had one more month of freedom. So I savored every second of it. Popsicles at night, hide-and-go-seek on the street corner, cool dirt and soft grass to run in. Surely now that we are so much older, we can give ourselves the permission to extend the summer as long as we can.

Because really, it should be a state of mind. A place where we can go when life just gets too hectic. And it is too hectic.

We’ve made our lives insanely busy. But sometimes I think through all the appointments, commitments, and requirements, we’ve forgotten to live. To even notice where we are or who we are with. At the end of the day, can you answer these questions?

Was it sunny today or cloudy?
Did you smile at a stranger today? Help anyone?
How many times did you laugh?
What have you learned today?
Did you remember to have some moments of gratitude?
Was there even a minute when you stopped, looked around, took a deep breath and really noticed your surroundings?
Isn’t that what living is supposed to be about?

Don’t let advertising tell you when it’s time to relax or play. Or when it’s time to stop. If you’re a boomer and beyond, you know better.

You know life is what you make it…and maybe right now, you’re ready to make it fun.