A common scene in Ohio in mid-January: Folks look out the window and bemoan another day of grey. There are excited words of anticipation for the breaking of spring. We long for the heat and sunshine of summer. We can’t wait another dreary, winter’s day for it.
But what actually happens in Ohio when summer rolls around?
We blast ourselves back to the Ice Age with air conditioning.
We lock ourselves in our homes, cars and offices, spending an awful lot of energy avoiding what mother nature has to offer.
I understand people want to be comfortable. I also understand that some elderly folk and others with health problems have great difficulty in the heat. But its one thing to have a little A/C to take the edge off, and quite another to wallow in low temperatures we'd never tolerate in the winter.
Its no picnic for me to sweat in the garden in the afternoon then go to work in the morning in a winter sweater. It is hard to acclimatize under those conditions. I'd love to wear short sleeves and bask in the summer heat, but I'm shivering at 65 degrees in mid-August! Those of us who spend time outside are at a disadvantage when the thermostat is set by people who spend their lives locked inside.
I'm not totally against air conditioning. But let's roll with the punches a bit. Its amazing what a person can adapt to when you just give it a chance. Spend 20 minutes a day taking a casual stroll outside and you'll be surprised how well you can get used to the fluctuations in the temperature. Few people are not in good enough health for a short, casual time outside each day. A little heat does not have to terrify you. Remember--you've been waiting for it all winter!
Besides, its better for the environment to let your temperature roll with mother nature a bit, as well. Set your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer, a few degrees lower in the winter, and we can all save a bunch on our carbon footprint (not to mention our utilities bills).
We're all missing out on the wonders of nature to go through life in climate control. Let's enjoy the summer with the heat and sun it has to offer. We've been waiting for it. If nothing else, temperature fluctuations give your wardrobe the opportunity to do things you can't always do in climate control.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Our cars have this very neat invention, you may have heard about it. Its called: Windows! And get this: They go up and down!
ReplyDeleteI love driving in the summer, because its so ironically... private! I can blast music and sing full strength, and even at a stoplight, when I might be self-conscious of other people hearing me sing, I look around and realize that just about EVERYONE is driving with their windows rolled up tightly. I'm singing to me and the birds and the world is mine.
It is rare when the heat is so extreme that driving with the windows down is not enough to provide sufficient cooling. You may have to put up with a couple moments of discomfort when you stop or whatever, but glory be, a couple moments of discomfort! Is that so terrible?
And if your hairstyle can't handle getting tossed around in the wind, then you really have the wrong hairstyle.
I rarely use air conditioning. I tend to use it only on really humid nights if I cant get a cross wind going in my house and the heat is disturbing my sleep.
ReplyDeleteI only use air conditioning in the car if I am dressed up to go somewhere fancy and I dont want the sweat to ruin my hair or my clothes cuz I need to look nice where I'm going (okay, tell me I'm vain).
But I pretty much hate air conditioning because it makes me feel locked in my house, trapped, on a nice summer day. I just open windows. If you plant enough trees by your house, the shade should make it comfortable if you just open a few windows. Fortunately, the houses I've lived in have been pretty cool (due to living in the shade of trees).
Plus, I'm a freeze baby and air conditioning just makes me cold. You shouldnt ever have to wear a sweater in the summer!!
That's right. Sweaters in the summer are a warning sign.
ReplyDeleteI think this whole thing reflects a poor attitude about Americans--the idea that we can just go into an environment and force it to be what we want. Like you said, with a little planning, tree placement, the right outfits, the right cross-winds, you can work with your environment to find comfort.
We think we can walk into the desert, make it grow green grass and have home environments at 70 degrees!