We're havin' a heat wave

When I was a kid, a very hot day was defined by the tar bubbling on the driveway. Or by shrimp salad for dinner because my mother decided to not use the oven. A 24-inch grey metal square fan was on the living room floor while we watched evening TV and later moved to my parent's bedroom. I often slept on the daybed on the back porch rather than upstairs. I had never heard of air conditioning until movie theaters and a few restaurants started advertising that they were "kool" places and think the first time I slept in a place with ac was at a motel when my parents were driving me to college for my freshman year.

Today we are at the tail end of a heat wave, although it has not been as bad as predicted. There will probably be a couple more before the ac units can come out of the windows and be stored away until next year. But these 100 degree days are predictable and temporary. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of heat waves of other kinds. Public rhetoric has become inflammatory. Hot heads have stirred up passions that are all-consuming. Celebrity can crash and burn after fifteen minutes. Certain elements of our society are on the hot seat. Firewalls in our technology are necessary while instant communications can turn a hot piece of gossip into a sensation that can destroy a reputation. 

In the heat of the moment, how are we to discern the truth? I don't know the answer to that. I'm not even sure that is the right question. I only know I want cooler heads to prevail everywhere and to find ways to keep myself grounded as things crash and burn around me. What I have done so far is so put on a tube of sunscreen under fireproof suit and sit in the dark. While it is actually comfortable there, it is not safe.

 

How are you coping in all this heat?

Marilyn