Journal entry from Aug. 11 2008

The Inner Conflict of Lazy Days of Summer

In this moderate climate where I live, where neither winter nor summer temperatures are extreme (usually), our home is not air conditioned. Normally I enjoy feeling the difference in the seasons that this offers. Sundresses and strappy tops to keep cool in the summer heat of a home refreshed only by ceiling fans and a cross breeze; summer fashion that I must cover up with a sweater when I visit the air conditioned U.S. The layering of a turtle neck and sweater in the winter to keep warm in a house heated by a fireplace and space heaters; layers I must reduce when I am in centrally heated homes further North in Spain or in the U.S.

I like feeling the fresh air, the rise and fall of temperatures between day and night, the breezes from both sea and land; it feels more natural more in tuned with nature, I tell myself. There is a change of pace here in southern Spain, as the temperature rises and the holiday-makers invade. It reminds me of times of the past when people still lived the rhythms of the seasons; when “lazy days of summer” were natural, necessary and accepted.

Now central air conditioning and heating means, in most places, that our rhythm - our pace of life - must remain the same all year round. Winter used to mean staying close to the fire to keep warm, reading, sewing, knitting, making love, sleeping – activities to cherish in the long, cold winter months; a time of rest and repose - of inner reflection preparing for Spring and its growth. Spring and Fall were busy times, full of planting, sowing and harvesting, and readying for the winter. Summers were spent outdoors, in company of friends and neighbors, at a slower pace sanctioned by the high temperatures and long days. Repairs were made, canning and putting up for other seasons completed, life’s bounty enjoyed. Now we must all live the same pace, the same productivity, the same activity all year round – our body’s rhythms pressed to the max, out of whack with the earth’s natural rhythms.

Most summers I am glad not to have air conditioning, to consume less energy, spend less money and to feel more in tune with nature. However, in this exceptionally humid summer, my body is more in tune, it is exhausted, but my mind is influenced by modern demands and expectations. I have this inner conflict about what I feel capable of doing and what I think I should be doing during these hot Aug. days: preparing my activities for the Fall, making a marketing plan to be contracted for more activities, research for new programs to develop. The air conditioned American in me is hard on myself and pushes my mind to get busy, but the Spaniard in me recognizes that the pace is different here, and just wants to kick my feet up in the shade and read.
Today at 100 degrees with high humidity and hormones I long for those air conditioned days where one can work and relax with out getting sweaty and sticky, one can sleep through the night without waking up drenched in sweat, the room full of light from the street lamps because it’s too hot to cover the open windows with curtains or shades. One has more energy, one is more productive, one is not so hard on oneself for feeling so tired and lazy in these long days of summer.