Humans are amazingly adaptable creatures.
Over the millennia, we have learned to live in environments
that range from minus 45 C in the Arctic to 45 C in the Middle
East. This is not to say that we like these extreme
temperatures, but simply that our amazing bodies can handle a
huge range of environmental conditions.
Living here in the southern ranges of Canada,
we are lucky that we don't have to live in such extreme
circumstances. Unless you live in the city, that is.
City dwellers have to adapt to huge changes
in temperature from one moment to the next. There is no gradual
change from extreme heat to rather
chilly conditions. And it doesn't matter if
it is summer or winter, the body goes from one extreme to the
other by simply stepping out the door.
Hot enough for you this summer? Turn on the
air conditioner! You can keep your home and workplace at a
"comfortable" 18 C. You will probably want to wear a sweater,
but in contrast to the humid 30 C outside your door, the cool
will feel great.
Life in the forest is not so extreme. There
is no air conditioning, other than that provided by nature. The
nights are cool, so I leave the windows open. Fresh clean air
from the forest fills my home. If I close the windows by
mid-morning, the cool will stay through much of the day.
I have a hard time adapting to life in the
city. Fortunately for me, I only have to venture there a couple
of times a month. Got to get supplies, eh? But it is tough,
especially in the summer.
The heat is not so bad, as my body has built
some tolerance for the hot days. True, it is hotter in the
city, and the air is not so fresh. But the difficult
thing for me is going in and out of those
chilly buildings as I do a dozen errands through the day. I'm
dressed for the heat. When I step into a mall, it is like
stepping into a fridge. The natural sweat my skin had produced
to keep cool turns against me, and becomes clammy
discomfort.
After an hour or so inside, my body does
begin to relax into the coolness - but then I step outside
again. It is like being hit with a ton of bricks.
Suddenly, my body has to let the blood flow
to my skin again, to release excess heat.
These extreme changes are not so easy for a
body to adapt to. Especially when the abrupt changes are
repeated several times over the course of the day. At the end
of the day, I am happy to get back to the lake, the forest and
home where I won't have to face the extremes anymore.
The heat can be pretty rough here sometimes
too. But coping with it is far more pleasant. When we get some
of those really oppressive days of 30 C and humidity to match,
I simply jump in the lake. It has all the cooling effect of air
conditioning, without any of the cold clammy feeling on my
skin.
Instead of taking 30 minutes to adapt, as it
does with air conditioning, it takes only a few seconds to
settle in to the totally refreshing coolness of the
water.
I swim, or sometimes just float in the lake
for five or 10 or maybe even 20 minutes. My internal
temperature adjusts, and cools. When I step out of the water
and back into the heat, it feels nice. It does not compare at
all to the ton of bricks that hits when I'm in the city.
Instead, the coolness of the lake stays with me for an hour or
more after leaving the water. And if the heat gets oppressive
again, I'll seek the beauty of the water once more.
Enjoy your summer!
Viki Mather lives by a lake near Sudbury.
