Since Jason left and my Muffin-sitting duties concluded, I’ve been feeling rather glum and keeping a low profile. I also feel this way because we seemed to lose a whole section of summer to early autumn, and the days are getting decidedly shorter and cooler. My body and mind are designed for summer, and I am at my best in the heat.
People always make fun of the fact that I like hot weather. They always say things like “But I thought you liked the heat” or “Only you think this is nice, it’s insanely hot” or some such variation. Just because I was born in Canada does not make me automatically love cold, snow, or winter. In fact, I have nothing but hideous feelings about that type of weather. And there are endless reasons why.
Let me start with how much I love being outside. I would spend all day every day outside if I could, if the weather is pleasant. For me, pleasant is +28C or above, with sunshine and no wind. There can even be humidity, I don’t care. So long as I am comfortable in the shade and don’t need socks or a sweater, I am happy. But physically, I am likely different from others. I am an efficient sweat creator. Gross, I know, and it doesn’t matter what the physical activity or how cold it is out, I sweat. My understanding is this is actually a healthy thing, so when it’s over +28 and this happens, the shade or breeze doesn’t affect me. I dry off and feel refreshed. But when the mercury dips below that temperature, the wind or shade chills me. Immediately. I get purple lips and numb fingers and toes, and it can take hours for me to recover.
The best way to describe it is like having a fever or flu for 52 years of my existence pretty much every day, except for a few months of the year. Would you like to feel like you have the sweat chills most of your waking life? I think not, nor do I. So, for a few brief moments, I get to be comfortable; my joints move well, and my body is relaxed and not tense. To me, it’s priceless to feel this way. And unfortunately, rare.
Yes, I love the heat. It’s seldom too hot for me, but even someone who loves the heat can have a threshold and can admit when we hit the +40s, it can be quite toasty. On the odd occasion, I say something like, “Wow, it’s hot today”, it doesn’t mean I don’t like it or might struggle to do certain activities. It’s simply an observation. I am a summer person through and through, and for me, heat and happiness go hand in hand.
