Making it Count

Now that warmer weather has finally arrived, I have gone back to walking around the lake near my house. It is great to finally be able to stroll in the fresh hair after a long winter where most of my walking had to be done in a mall to avoid the ice and cold winds.

            A couple of days ago I was especially enjoying the warming weather when I saw a tall man I judged to be in his thirties coming in the other direction totally naked from the waist up except for his suspenders. He was carrying a shirt and a jacket in his hand. The weather was nice but it certainly was not summer. Like me, the other walkers were wearing a jacket over a shirt or top.

            I asked myself what that fellow is going to do during the dog days of summer. He certainly has nothing else to remove. I simply attributed his behavior to some sort of temporary insanity after a cold-induced trauma. Perhaps he had to spend a lot of time outside during the coldest days of winter due to a mishap, and now he was blessing the warming weather in the only way he knew how.

            I don’t think it’s unusual for people to do things the complete reverse of what is expected in order to sort of rebalance an order which has been assaulted. That’s why you see people, especially kids, wearing shorts as soon as the spring sun begins to warm up the air. You can almost hear them think: enough is enough. Just like some older people do the reverse and are seen wearing heavy jackets and hats as soon as the fall winds are expected. Their experience propels them to be ready.

            As people get older inner thermostats seem to get a bit out of kilter. I suppose that’s not surprising after decades of going from freezing to hot and then from hot to freezing the body becomes unsure what to expect. That’s why you see some seniors wearing sweaters even in summer months.

Don’t you think it’s truly amazing how we humans adapt to the various seasons year after year. We complain about the cold wind of winter only to turn around and wake up to the warmest day of the year.

We should all get a medal for our ability to adapt. Without necessarily going naked from the waist up!