RuthAnnHarnisch.com

Hot Hot Hot

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 07/09/10 at 7:48 pm

Day 189

When I was a kid in Buffalo, I remember tossing and whimpering through many a summer night, unable to get comfortable no matter what I did.

We had a fan.  I would set that noisy monster at the foot of my bed, pour a glass of water on the single sheet that covered me, and let the fan blow.  You would think that would provide a little relief.  It didn’t.

As record temperatures have made life uncomfortable – if not unbearable – for millions this summer, I’ve managed to spend a lot of time in air-conditioned comfort. But it’s been impossible to avoid the three-figure temperatures altogether.

My travels have taken me to some scorching cities, and I’m currently on the top floor of a hotel with no a/c.  I have a wet towel at the ready.

I know, I know, I sound like Old Lady Harnisch when I say that when I was young, air conditioning was a luxury and I didn’t know anybody whose house was fully equipped.  Somebody’s parents might have had a window unit in their bedroom.

We went to the movies to cool off for a couple of hours – it cost a quarter. (OMG, OLH in full effect.) There was a decal of a penguin on the glass door of Shea’s Seneca theater  saying, “It’s Coooool Inside!”

I’m the person who’s comfortable sleeveless when other people are wearing a quilted jacket.  I’m the one who will offer you the wrap I brought but am not wearing because I’m too darn hot. (Edie Falco  gratefully accepted at a benefit one night where she was freezing and I was steamy.)

Of all the things I appreciate about living in this time, ubiquitous air conditioning is in the Top Ten.  The past couple of weeks, I’ve listened to a lot of people complain about how hot and uncomfortable they are.

Hey, welcome to my world!  It is always interesting to see multitudes walking a mile in the shoes I wear every day.

Whenever others experience my discomfort, I become sharply aware that a lot of people are having uncomfortable experiences and challenges every day of which I am completely unaware, or to which I might not be very sensitive or sympathetic.

And that is not so hot.