More 'Just Thinking' Pieces
Heat
Six Things To Do About It
By the time you read this, a) the British heat wave will have broken, b) you may not have been anywhere near Britain in ages, c) you may be in Phoenix or Del Rio USA (47 °C 1), or Kuwait City (50 °C), or (especially) Lut Desert in Iran (81 °C), and wonder why in the world the British are hysterical about 35 degrees. I respect that. Perspective is everything. But so is preparation. And Britain could do with some of that. Yes, long term we need to make our entire infrastructure (and culture) more heat-literate. But right now we could use some simple tips about to be in heat, even if it is ‘only’ 35 degrees. It feels like a crucible, but it isn’t.
I spent my life before moving to Britain in summer temperatures of 35 degrees with no air conditioning. One day, having moved from blissful New Mexico to blistering Washington DC, I decided to like the heat since that was going to be my summer life forever, so I thought. I did manage to like it, more or less, but only after I learned six things to do about it. I realise that these things are available for people who are not laying tar or collecting trash or guiding airplanes from terminal to tarmac, or are not eight hours a day in a high-rise torture chamber. And they are for people who have running water, a bathtub or shower, and how have to hand a few essential conveniences. But in the right circumstances, they are good to know.
They are:
1
Become a Billy Connolly fan. He once said, “There is no such thing as bad weather. There are just the wrong clothes.” Wear as little as possible if you are not in the sun. Whatever you were wearing when it was 24 degrees, wear less. Much less.
2
Have actual fans around your house or office, including an adorable small one to carry around to put on your dresser or bedside table or kitchen counter or window ledge or laundry shelf – wherever exertion lurks.
3
Take at least 4 cool baths (with the same water) or quick cool showers a day. Dry off by standing or lying in front of the adorable small fan.
4
Apply an ice pack (or at least a cold cloth) to these areas of your body:
Front and back of the neck
Armpits
Groin
These areas have blood vessels and arteries that are closest to the body’s surface. When cooled, they will rapidly cool the blood supply and thus the whole body. Keep doing it.
5
Spray yourself often with water from a discrete spray bottle.
6
Sip cold water to cool your core temperature and help along your body’s own hydration.
That’s it – doable and green and inexpensive.
Now you might argue that there is only one remedy for heat: air conditioning. I get that. And if this were Arizona or Texas, I’d stop arguing. But Britain? Really? For only 15 days (max) per year (only 2 in Scotland)? And what about your commitment to a cooler planet requiring a break from carbon-fuelled things – like air conditioners? And what about experiencing lovely things like real air and breezes?
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t love 33 degree days. I do love the contrast with their cooler evenings and their even cooler mornings. Those two things alone make me welcome the 30s for a little while. And I love the feeling after the refreshing, not to say bracing, baths, and that adorable fan’s fanning. And I love the fact that for a full week my legs are not cold. (We all have our issues.) It is 26 degree days I love, but at the moment they seem a dream.
Right now I am sitting on our terrace under our beautiful Acer tree that is fluttering in a hot breeze and cooling me graciously. And I am grateful. For me that is part of loving the heat: being grateful for the cool moments. Gratitude itself is a pleasure.
But if you are reading this in Bordeaux or Kuwait City or Lut Desert (I don’t think so) or Phoenix or Del Rio right now, and you are sniggering at the British carry-on about barely 15 days a year of heat, I understand. Context, too, is everything. Snigger on.
But meanwhile, suffering for even 15 days on this tiny not-used-to-it island warrants mitigating, I’d say. Also, there is nothing quite as exhilarating as taking charge rather than taking umbrage.
And who knows, these six things might work for you, too.
1 It is, I think, high time for Fahrenheit-only people (mostly us US Americans) to learn and make friends with Celsius. Here’s the formula (not perfect, but almost): Take the Fahrenheit temperature, subtract 30, then divide by 2. Example: 100 °F - 30 = 70 / 2 = 35 °C, so 100 °F = 35 °C. How cool is that?