Today we are experiencing a heat wave. A serious heat wave, to where the dew point is at 81 degrees, it's 97 degrees outside right now with an index off 112. It is crazy hot and humid. Of course most of the city is huddled indoors next to their sweating air conditioning ducts or window units or whatever we have access to. And I am right there with them. But I think we should rethink air conditioning a bit. The summer is the ultimate slim-down environment, and we cheat ourselves out of it every year. When you are hot, your appetite is naturally suppressed. Yes, you might crave ice cream or some kind of frozen treat, but your need for actual nutrients seems much less than in the winter, for example, when you have this innate need to put a sweater of fat on under your skin to stay warm. In the summer we take off that sweater. But instead of following this natural order we turn the temp down and trick ourselves into maintaining.
Personally, dreaming of a world without air conditioning makes me want to wake from the nightmare. I am not suggesting that you go completely without cooling of any kind, especially when the heat is actually dangerous, as it is out there right now. But I am suggesting that you can do without using so much freon or whatever heinous chemical we are currently using to artificially cool our surroundings. We can save energy running the thing, and the payoff just might be forcing yourself to wear a tank top and shorts and being more aware of your body and what you are putting into it. Relish the tropical atmosphere instead of artificially living in a bubble, and your body might thank you for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment