Heat Wave

 Heat Wave

There are at least two kinds of hot: the lord-have-mercy kind and the hallelujah kind.  Neither of them have a denomination: they fill everyone's air equally, no matter what your believe.

The first hits your eyes like a mirage–you can see the heat undulating heavily in the air.  More accurately,  the heat sticks to the the air. The waves form visible static stay and stain your clothes and chairs.  Wet spots that attest to the weariness, that don't sprinkle or burst  but sink...sink into your skin, your brow, your brain...and   the brain fog settles on everything,  making you and the world around you lazy, leaving your legs like oozing glue on plastic and vinyl seats.

Then, there is the hallelujah kind of hot that dances with the air current. It's the kind that calls you into it, that takes you on a balcony or into the yard. The heat puts on a natural show with the Sun, who is a crowd pleaser, and they both bask in your smile. The heavenly breeze that accompanies the heat encourages you to take part in it...to sit in it, put your feet up in the garden, or fall asleep in the shade...It is the kind of hot you have been dreaming of all winter and tasted in spring. It is the kind that extricates you from the bad parts of your brain and leaves good memories.

The thing  is, you can't choose which hot arrives anymore  than you can choose the other weather of life. Both types of heat come and eventually go, bringing what they will bring. We must count our blessings for the second type, and keep in mind that the winds of Autumn usually sweep away  any heat  that's too hard to bear.

Photo:   Bru-nO

Text: Kristen Mastromarchi