Something a little lighter today…

Right now it’s hot where I live. Not planes-can’t-take-off hot like Phoenix earlier this summer, but still in the 90s. In a city that doesn’t put air conditioning in homes, and usually is more likely to see the 70s than the 80s even in the summer, this is kind of a big deal. Especially for people who hate the heat.

Like me. I hate the heat.

Hate. It.

I’ve always hated it. I’m not a huge fan of beach vacations. Hot yoga is not a thing I’d even entertain trying. Anything above 75 degrees generally pisses me off.

I work out in the mornings, so that plus a shower means every hot summer morning:

I actually snapped at my sister the other day simply because she told me it was going to be in the 90s this week. So I’ve been worrying about this heat wave not because I have an actual health concern (which many people do in this heat, and I’m definitely not dismissing their concerns) but because I don’t like being uncomfortable And I’ve (finally) realized something:

I’ve been using my hatred of heat to allow myself to be kind of a jerk about it.

And frankly it’s not helping. Sure, I guess it’s easier to just allow myself to act like a child because I’m hot. And I’m not suggesting that I — or anyone — needs to be cheery about being uncomfortable. I mean, the fact is that once it hits 80 outside, my bedroom is like:

But that does not give me or others the right to be jerks. Lots of people are uncomfortable, and are going to get more and more uncomfortable over the next week. That doesn’t mean we get to stop treating other people like humans.

So to those who hate the heat: I get it. I’m with you. But we can get through this without being jerks. We just have to take care of each other. Make sure we’re all drinking enough water. Getting breaks if we work at hot jobs (like kitchens or construction). Going to bed earlier. Checking on our neighbors. Moving a little slower. Holding our tongues when we just want to snap at someone because we can feel the sweat pooling in places it doesn’t belong.

And to those encountering people who hate the heat: I know, there’s no excuse for us to be jerks to you. But just know that its not you, and some of us are trying to be better.