As summer progresses, so does the increase of heat. That’s a normal occurrence and it allows some time for our bodies to adjust. Even though it is anticipated, it seems like the first day of 90 degrees comes as a shock and is a topic of conversation. “Hot enough for ya?!?” And one is tempted to put off any outdoor work until a somewhat cooler day, but sometimes that cannot be done. The time has come to recognize that the heat of summer has arrived and it is also time to consider “survival strategies” to make it through.
These hot days are essential for farmers and gardeners to see some crops come to fruition. Corn, watermelon, tomatoes, and so many more need the increase of temperature and available sunlight to achieve full maturity. The world’s food supply flourishes with the proper conditions. Too much rain, too many very hot days, a lack of rain, or markedly cooler temperatures can all have detrimental effects on the growing plants.
People also respond in various ways to the increasing temperatures. Of course, some people love the heat, just as others much prefer cooler weather. Obviously most do not have their specific preferred weather conditions year round. We do our best to adapt, usually with indoor climate control devices such as furnaces for heating and air conditioners for cooling, or by adding or subtracting clothing when we venture outdoors.
Usually we are at least partially successful in adapting our lives to the seasonal fluctuations of cold and hot. Humans have continually altered our life patterns and have tried to alter our immediate living environment to achieve and maintain our preferred temperature conditions. We can adapt to a wide range of heat and cold if we have enough time to make some adjustments, even as out bodies go through the usual seasonal fluctuations.
One has to look upon the temperature changes as a part of the natural world. In the heat, animals move less frequently (as long as there is adequate food and water) and in the cold they grow a heavier fur coat. In many ways, we humans can look to that example as one way to order our lives to the seasonal changes. Certainly there are various obligations that may interfere with living this way completely, work and family responsibilities being the most common. In any case, we all try to learn to adapt to our environment as best we can and to take each day as a gift.