Just like that, it's hot as balls.
I'm not complaining, mind you! In fact, contrary to many I've spoken to, I actually feel like - for once! - we had a bit of a Spring, albeit a rainy one. And though it's finally HOT hot, it's not totally unbearable. Yet.
On top of that, this year I'm making a conscious effort to approach things differently. I've resolved to try and go with the heat, rather than fight it like I usually do.
A bit of backstory to set the stage, perhaps. See, I'm from Alabama originally, so one would think I'd be relatively acclimated to extreme heat, but no...I do not do well in the heat of summer. For one thing, I sweat profusely and, when I do, it's almost exclusively from my head.
I could count my blessings and be glad I'm not a profuse 'pit-sweater or crotch-sweater (or have to wear a sweater...gah!), but - in the past - I've mostly just groused and felt discomfited by the city in summer as, whenever I walked even a block outside (which is unavoidable, being New York is a walking city), I appeared to have just been caught in a downpour.
So, yeah...this summer I'm thinking about it differently. First and foremost, I'm realizing I have an "approach" to sweating that I hadn't really made explicit to myself, previously. My general philosophy is one of "stay cool and don't sweat at ALL costs!". But acknowledging that as my unconscious agenda allows me to question it: Like, what's the big deal if I get a little wet? (It dries eventually!)
Making my philosophy regarding sweat conscious also begs the question of whether fighting something my body obviously is designed to do naturally is counter-productive, and even, eventually, detrimental. Perhaps by fighting not to sweat all these years (by sticking to air-conditioned environments as much as possible, for example) I've prevented my body from doing what it's supposed to do by sweating(other than cooling the body, clearly.)! I mean, despite the profuse amount of sweating I do when I do sweat, perhaps I've been successful enough at avoiding sweating under normal circumstances that I've stored up a lot of the toxins sweat is meant to expel from my body, rather than expelling them! Yikes! Clearly this calls for more time in the sauna/steamroom. Or at the park. Or on the court (tennis or basketball...if I can remember how to dribble.). Or even in the bedroom if I play my cards right? (Volunteers?)
Regardless of where I sweat more, I'm already off to a good start as I went to my capoeira class last night and the gym was having some issues with the A/C, rendering the studio where the class took place its own sauna. I stuck it out and - in the end - it wasn't bad!
Next? Sleeping without A/C. Oof! Gonna take some doing!
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