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printWhenever I'm in trouble, I pray. And because I'm in trouble all of the time, I pray almost constantly.
- Isaac Bashevis Singer
A Cooling Prayer
I try not to write about the weather. It feels like a copout. But how can I ignore this blistering heat wave? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. It’s making everyone’s life miserable.
I was out on our block, West 30th St., walking Millie extra early this morning and already the city air was shimmering with heat, the humidity rising as fast as the temperature, another hot and slimy day in a seemingly endless onslaught of dangerously high temperatures.
Normally I think the dreaded “heat index” is as silly as the “wind-chill factor.” The temperature is the temperature, right? Why create measurements that make it seem even worse? This weather, though, has me worried. The heat index was predicted to be well into triple digits today. There are a lot of people who could suffer.
I live with two females who not do well in warm weather, which means a heat wave like this is double trouble for me. Julee, my wife, can never decide which she hates more, heat or humidity, so she complains about both with equal vehemence and keeps the air conditioner on high continuously. I am forbidden to adjust it. “You should live in a mall,” I always tell her.
And Millie is pathetic, especially considering that she was born in Florida. “You should do fine with this weather!” I tell her. Instead she droops her head, her tongue lolling out, panting, as she slinks to a crawl. She looks up at me as if it is all my fault, as if I’ve somehow let things get out of control. Last night one of the guys at the newsstand poured a bottle of cold water over her head. That helped a little bit.
So this morning we got out extra early in order to beat the heat. I was a little worried about waking Julee up. Not a problem. You could hardly hear anything over the roar of the air conditioner.
Millie and I walked east and uptown a block until we found ourselves in front of St. Francis of Assisi Church, on West 31st St. A few Franciscans were milling outside in their heavy brown cassocks. How do they deal with the heat dressed like that? I wondered. Most New Yorkers were wearing as little clothing as possible.
Millie wiggled her way over, eager to say hi. She is the most sociable dog I’ve ever had and the heat does not inhibit her in this regard. She always wants to make friends. One of the Franciscans crouched down to greet her.
“How is she doing in this heat?” he asked.
“Hates it,” I said.
“Give her lots of fresh water.”
“I do.”
“With a little ice in it.”
“Absolutely.”
“May I say a prayer for her?”
“That would be great.”
“Father of all creatures, please keep this gentle, beautiful animal cool and comfortable today, and all those who are like her. Amen.”
“Will you say one for her friend Winky too?”
“I will pray for Winky.”
“And add one for my wife, when you get a chance?”
“Certainly. God bless you.”
“Thank you, Father. You too.”
Millie and I turned the corner and headed home. I think there was a little spring in my dog’s step. Prayer can do that. I would remember to say a few of my own for all the people who are suffering in this heat wave. It’s the least I can do until the weather breaks.
What are you doing to keep cool in this heat? Post below.
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Edward Grinnan is Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Guideposts Publications. Edward lives in New York City with two blondes—his wife, Julee, and Golden Retriever, Millie, who has been featured in his blog and popular videos. Edward loves cycling, hiking with Millie at his house in the Berkshire Hills and Wolverines that hail from Michigan.
If you need a little boost of inspiration, pick up a copy of Edward's book The Promise of Hope: How True Stories of Hope and Inspiration Saved My Life and How They Can Transform Yours.
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Your Comments (4)
I try to do all the physical movement / work (dusting, dishes, etc.) - especially outdoors, (watering the gardens, walking pet) - as close to sunrise and sunset as possible. With long days, that's tricky, but on weekends I can grab a mid-day nap (siesta!).
I walk to work, so I stick to the shady sides of the streets and avoid direct sun as much as possible.
I drink plenty of water all day (mrsswac has the right idea about no ice) and avoid caffeinated beverages - even "decaf" has some caffeine. Though, for some, that may be harder to deal with than the heat. :P
I continue to pray for the heat wave to end too, and have been swapping snow pictures on Twitter with others. :D
Keep cool, everyone! :D
Heat is a blessing. It helps us to appreciate the cold weather when it hits...but isn't it just like us to complain about the heat, wish for the cold, complain about the cold and wish for the heat?
I'm not seeing this heat wave any more of a blisterer than any other heat wave. After all, it is summer. I'm from Texas, and live close to the coast. And, I've lived without a/c before. I feel for those who have to live without it, now.
what I do to keep cool is I drink plenty of water, think cool thoughts and wear clothing that is light and airy, like cotton. I don't drink ice water as the water has to heat up to your core temp before your body can utilitize it. I drink my water at room temp so that my body can benefit from it immediately.
Holding ice in the hands and spraying yourself with cool water can help. Eating foods that are cool rather than hot, also helps to cool one down.
I like to put my feet in a nice cool puddle of water, splash it around a little. It's refreshing. I've been accused of going through my second childhood, but I'm not. It's more like my fourth childhood, and I reserve the right, at my age, to do childish things like split puddles, and keep myself as comfortable as possible with Snowcones, chilled fruit, and running through the sprinkler.
Here in the U.K. we are stuck on the other side of the jet stream and have rain and floods in July. I think the heat is much worse than the rain and just pray it moves back in to its normal position soon and gives relief to all of us.
It's 110 in Southern Indiana, something that I have never seen. My feet are hot, even with the air conditioner going and wearing flip flops all day, so last night I couldn't sleep because I was hot so got up and soaked my feet in a tub of cold water with hydrogen peroxide in it. That seemed to help and I went back to bed and fell asleep.