It's Not the Heat, It's the Humility

I wasn't going to let it get to me today.

The kid, she was up before the sun and she was gonna let it know where to shine it. Laying in bed, I canceled my plans to work on the Great Re-Wiring -going in the attic on a day like this would have been suicide. I got up and got dressed in my swimsuit and the loosest, thinest shirt I had in my wardrobe. I got the windows open and the fans on before my first cup of coffee, and after that I made a nice salsa verde with ingredients fresh from the garden. Then I went down to the store to stock up on beer and a bunch of other cool things like halibut for dinner. After the kid woke from her noon nap, we filled the kiddie pool with the hose, turned on the sprinklers, donned our sunscreen and sunglasses, and made a pitcher of champagne pomegranate cocktails. Then I played some cheerful pop tunes on the outdoor speaker system (and, yes, I do mean "speaker" in the singular.) No sir, it wasn't gonna get us today. Never underestimate the all-surpassing power of a cheerful pop tune.

There's a few things in life you just can't change. Consider the Forces of Nature. You're just gonna have to roll with them, figure out the best way to get comfortable, and then make it happen, all the while preparing for the worst. Incidentally, there was an earthquake this morning. Not a big one, but a Reminder. Mrs. Ditchman yelled down from the upstairs, "Did you feel that!?" and we turned on the news, and there it was. No, Nature's not our friend. Any tree-hugger who thinks so, should spend some time naked in the Sierra with no Monticelli cabin for miles and see how long they last.

It's the Forces of Human Nature that are the real problem in life, and you're gonna have to humble yourself significantly to work through those. I've been well-prepared and alone in the Sierra for days on end myself, and I know how those demons surface all the same. But we're not in the Sierra! We've got a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs and champagne pomegranate cocktails -so suck it up! We're only gonna be here for a while, so we better make the most of it, do well, and enjoy each other! This life is really great if you just shut up about the lame stuff.