Sweet Relief 7/19/2020

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

Summer in the south. It’s a…potent event.  Sure, it makes for great tans and ridiculous amounts of fun in various bodies of water but there are times that it is pretty convincing that somehow our beloved Earth has switched places with Mercury and is now so close to the sun that there is the very real possibility that we shall all become some sort of fritter.  Maybe not a fritter. That implies a glorious crispness of being deep fried. No, we’re more likely to be some form of steam broiled; all cooked and damp and thoroughly unappetizing.  I refuse to give summer the satisfaction of knowing it could apply its heat in a method nearly as beautiful and pleasing as deep frying.

Some people act as though, because it HAS to be an act if they are in fact human, they love the heat of summer. I certainly use the term people for them loosely because I am not entirely convinced that they are in fact humans but more likely some sort of alien life form from some inhospitable planet (the aforementioned Mercury perhaps) simply masquerading as a human. I do not see how you could enjoy having to go about your life, especially the fully dressed bits, in an involuntary sauna for roughly 6 months (since that’s how long summer temperatures linger in these parts) of the year.  If one’s life consisted solely of being by or in a pool, perhaps then I could buy it. Don’t get me wrong it makes a dip in a lake or a splash in the gulf far more refreshing if one is excessively hot but, such things are in and of themselves innately refreshing anyway so I don’t really feel it’s necessary for one to be a frog hair width away from heat stroke to enjoy water recreation.

That is really the key to the southern summer. You must be able to find your own favorite version of respite from the torrid weather. Each individual has their definition of what the perfect remedy for the blazes of Alabama (or Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee or pick your neck of the sun’s surface).  One favorite is higher ground. When I can’t leave the region of the nation that I am in but need an escape from the typicality of its seasonal woes I go to the mountains. Just a moderate drive to Eastern Tennessee/Western North Carolina can cure a great deal of what ails me. Sure, it’s still hot there but there are a few magical elements in these locales that can soothe the soul. The naturally occurring waters in these highlands are something special. First of all, they are everywhere. It is entirely likely that you might see a trickle running down a rock face on the side of the road or accidentally catch a glimpse of a waterfall in some random corner of a forested drive. And every one of these rushes is frigid. Every stream and river and trickle and torrent is icy and pure. Just being near them lessens the atmosphere from stifling to crisp; oppression to restoration.

There is another quality of the mountains that can also be found in other places that might make it the most readily available and viable option for heat reprieve. In the mountains, higher elevations give you this downright heavenly cool breeze. It is enough to almost make you forget what season you are in and for the south that is a gargantuan feat. Another locale that can deliver to you one of those breaths of life itself is the beach.  You can choose whichever water converging with sand spot that you prefer and you will almost without fail find a gentle wind meets you there.  The shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico is not without these invigorating gales.  The heat is still there but the air currents from across the endless stretch of aquamarine finds its way to you no matter how arid the glistening white sands may be and appease the mercurial excess. The fluttering of umbrellas and tousling of hair attunes in perfect harmony with the symphony of endless waves. The breeze is the remedy; the cure for the common southern summer.

Really, no matter the setting, a cool breeze is almost magical in its ability to assuage the intensity of the most brutal of fieriness. And, if you get right down to it, we don’t even have to be talking about the weather. I think many of us have a person or two in our lives that, when the heat of hardship and struggle is intensified, serves as a restorative force.  It could be a dear friend that will listen and commiserate as you vent your burning frustrations.  It could be a significant other that knows exactly how to touch your hand to soften the sting of the flames of turmoil.  Most of us know who to go to when life has just far too much searing pressure that relaxation and rest are just no longer achievable. We each have that special soul that takes the assault upon us and somehow, by saying or doing just the right thing, offers a revitalizing breeze across our wearied souls that are suffering from the dog days of an emotionally sweltering time.

All of our lives have seasons and occasionally they are terribly oppressive just like a mid-day in late July or early August Alabama. There are times that the furnace of it all is overwhelming.  There comes a point that we all need some form of relief when things are too much.  Let this summertime be a reminder to you.  Always be sure to know where to find your fresh air in person form.  Be sure to take good care of that somebody of solace that brings balm in the midst of the scorching chaos. I daresay on occasion, during an early August day or an inferno of a circumstance, even the best of us might long for a refreshing truce in the battle of the blaze.  Whether it be light and airy dancing from the sky to cool your face or if it be soft and loving offering healing to the soul, never ever take for granted the power and presence of a light, cool breeze.