Dr. James L. Snyder
Lately, the temperature in Florida has topped 100°. I saw on the news that the Northeast is also hitting 100°.
It's easy to see why everyone wants to come to Florida. If they can't, they wish for some of our heat. Well, good luck with that. We’ll send you all you can handle.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I have lived in Florida for over thirty years. We've enjoyed every single day, and we have no plans to leave. At first the heat was more than we expected, but within a short time we got used to it. Now we enjoy it.
Records show this is the hottest June our country has seen. This heat has serious consequences. The human body can't handle such heat for long.
Just the other day, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage complained about how hot it was. “Oh, my,” she said, “where does all this heat come from?”
For a moment, I almost answered. But after 54 years of blissful marriage, I’ve learned when to speak and when to stay quiet. Of course, I’m still learning when to speak. That’s one of my biggest challenges.
I could have said, "It's summer, the sun is out, and the heat comes from the sun." But I knew that wasn't the answer she wanted, so I held back.
I remember my father saying that life isn't about numbers but attitude. I'm starting to understand what he meant.
When I was young I had two female dogs at home, male dogs in the neighborhood would gather in our backyard when the females were “in heat.” It was something beyond my control even though I tried.
But that's not the attitude I mean here.
At my stage in life, when I step out into the hot sun, I start sweating. That sweat drives me crazy. The sweat runs from the top of my head all the way to the bottom of my feet. Everything about me is soaked. Believe me, it’s not my favorite attitude.
I walked into the house and The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage looked up and asked, “Did you take a shower with your clothes on?" Then she laughs. I did not respond.
My recliner is next to our big glass door. I can see the sun shining and feel the heat. I sigh deeply because I'm glad to be on the cool side. I enjoy the heat outside while I stay cool indoors.
One thing about this heat season that I have learned is, I avoid driving when it’s this hot—not because my A/C doesn’t work, but because other drivers have attitudes I can’t relate to. The other day, I was driving across town. I saw cars go by with drivers shaking their fists out the window. It’s like they thought that would fix anything!
If I shook my fist, it would only create more problems. I don’t think those drivers realized that shaking their fists out the window didn't make the heat go away.
I don’t want to drive among those people. After all, I love living.
One great perk of being retired is that I can choose not to drive if I don’t want to. I am increasingly appreciating that.
My body isn’t as strong as it used to be, so I avoid the 100° heat whenever possible. I respect my body, even if I’m not sure it respects me. That’s a different issue.
In the late afternoon, the sun had been blazing all day and showed no signs of letting up. I was in my recliner drinking some ice tea when The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage sat down in the rocking chair and asked, “When will this heat go away?”
I chuckled to myself, remembering about a month ago a cloudy day with rain. Back then, she looked out the window and asked, “Where in the world is the sun?”
I wanted to respond, “My dear, the sun is in the sky, just above the clouds.”
You have no idea how much I wanted to say that, but being a seasoned and successful husband, I kept it to myself.
The heat is not about numbers; it’s about attitude. Some people’s attitudes make me uncomfortable. Shaking fists and yelling at the sky show an attitude not rooted in sanity.
One of the best things about a hot, sunny afternoon is, I can sit down and enjoy it in a cool atmosphere. I remember those days far, far away when I lived up north and had to look out the window and see white fluffy stuff fill up our yard and driveway. Maybe if I would’ve stood there and shook my fist at the snow it would have gone away. If only I knew that back then.
Now that I have experienced both of these weathers, the hot and the cold, I have chosen the hot weather. And I am unanimous in that decision.
While contemplating on this I thought of some scripture.
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4).
My attitude should not be based on what’s going on around me. The heat and the cold comes and goes, but my relationship with God is firmly rooted in God’s Word.