I’m Tired of Being Hot

I hate being hot, always have. Maybe it is the memories of my youth, sweating to death in a football helmet during August two-a-day practice; maybe it is as simple as I am like my dad and thus hate it when the temperature in a room is above 71. I don’t know the origin of my strong disdain for hot days, I don’t know, and I don’t care; for me, being hot is miserable.

I know others have the opposite feeling; they chase warmth, – Florida is bursting at the seams with row after row of retirement homes – never wanting to feel a chill in the air. I don’t begrudge those people; I just don’t want to share a house with them.

My dislike of heat has led me to travel in the hot summer months to places where the climate is more temperate, or at least it is supposed to be. A few years ago, I spent an extended amount of time in Alaska seeking cool days and crisp nights, only to experience the warmest summer in Alaska’s history – that was true at the time, since then they have had five more warmest summers on record.

My recent trip to Maine yielded the same result. Hot, humid weather that was “not normal.” I have paid the price for vacationing in regions that typically don’t experience hot days; these places don’t have air conditioning. Nothing like sleepless nights with the window open, staring at the ceiling, not sure if you are in Maine or the US Virgin Islands.

It begs the question, what can we make of all this? I know people get all forms of sideways when you start asking questions about the weather and seeking reasons it seems off kilter. This has been a hot topic (no pun intended) for a few decades; in the early days it was called global warming. That lasted a few years until the environmental movement figured out that the phrase didn’t sit well with non-believers; these were the people who readily pointed out when a blizzard developed; “So much for global warming, we have more snow today then I have ever seen,” they would say to whomever believed the planet was getting hotter.

Undeterred by poor market positioning, the environmental movement changed their catch phrase to “climate change.” I like that better; captures everything that can happen. Good branding.

I admit I am not qualified to determine if the earth is experiencing climate change; I can’t opine about the latest scientific evidence which supports the premise. I can, however, anecdotally surmise something is changing. If you have a history of snorkeling in the Caribbean you know that over the last thirty plus years, the coral has washed out and is generally not present in places it used to be. There is less coral and less fish. Seven-mile beach in the Cayman Islands doesn’t offer amazing snorkeling among schools of Blue Tang like it did in 1989. There are more hotels though.

What about the extreme weather we see across the globe? I know people summarily reject this and point out it is a natural cycle. It may very well be, but mother nature seems to be more pissed than I remember.

Let’s pretend for a moment the weather has changed. Wouldn’t we all want to make sure we focus on that and do something about shifting patterns? I guess what I am saying is why do people get so angry and obstinate about climate change? Is the world so political that if one side believes in something the other can’t? I don’t know, but it seems silly we fight over this issue.

I am not that old, and yet, in my short life I have seen a change. Or at least I think I have. And isn’t that the point? If we aren’t scientists and some of us refuse to believe scientists, aren’t we flying blind and making assumptions about something we don’t completely understand? The answer to that is yes. And it is a bad answer. Why would we continue to ignore something that might be bad?

I have given up trying to figure out political ideology that is inconsistent; it is fruitless and will drive you crazy. The argument about climate change is a perfect example.

I have given up worrying about it, but I haven’t given up my pursuit to find cooler climates. Did I mention I hate being hot. I hate the long summer days when it is so hot outside venturing away from the air conditioner is an exercise in melting. Because I have accepted, I can’t change the weather, I no longer stare at my grass hoping for some miracle to occur that will protect it from turning brown or worse yet being invaded by crabgrass. It is a losing battle, nature is winning.

I have an idea, instead of dividing ourselves by political beliefs why don’t we separate based on who likes to sweat and who likes a chill? Maybe that is already happening. If you look at demographic trends, southern states are growing and northern states are declining in population. The pundits like to say this is about governance and policies. That is likely true to a degree. It is also true that New Hampshire is generally a red state without income tax; and yet, there isn’t a huge influx of newly arrived citizens seeking northern republicanism. Politics isn’t the only reason people move; the weather plays a big role. Did I mention I was in New Hampshire this summer and it was unusually hot?

For those who remember last August’s weather complaint-column, you can chalk today’s column up to my annual whine about the summer temperatures and how miserable this month is and how tired I am of the oppressive heat. This column is in fact a new summer ritual, but today it is also something else. Today, I am wondering why people argue about facts they don’t like.

The climate is changing. If you don’t like that fact, that’s fine. There is nothing that can be said if you want to ignore data.

To be fair, my current observation about the weather isn’t focusing on data. Rather, I am focused on sweat beads falling off my forehead when I take a short walk, or my drenched shirt when I fire up the lawnmower. I am focused on the dramatic decline, I witnessed, of the glaciers in Alaska, or the loss of coral in St John’s. I don’t know what caused these natural phenomena to happen; it is happening though.

Nevertheless, here we are, and it is hot outside. Too hot to do anything. Too hot to enjoy the great outdoors, and too hot to debate climate change. Did I mention I am tired of being hot?