OH BOY IS IT HOT OUT OR WHAT?: Every Day Gratitude

Finding the positive in crazy awful weather

I used to be the first person you would hear complaining about the weather, especially when it’s hot. Over time though, I began to truly appreciate any day that wasn’t over 90(F) degrees and any day that wasn‘t below 30(F) degrees. Even on days like today, which is 97 and expected to reach 101 by the end of the week. 101!!! It‘s mid-June, not even summer yet. Normally, I would be moaning and groaning about it all day long. If I didn’t have air conditioning, life as I know it would end. Everyone around me would know how hot I was feeling. It’s not a pretty picture.

“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without bankruptcy.” - Fred De Witt Van Amburgh (Now that’s one heck of a name!)

So today I would like to express my gratitude to Willis Haviland Carrier (or as I like to call him St. Willis), the first inventor of the modern air conditioner. He was an Engineer who was trying to solve an application problem at a printing press. He was waiting for a train on a foggy day in Pittsburgh. Staring through the mist, he ”saw the light” so to speak. It struck him that he could dry air by passing it through water to create fog. (Carrier.com). Talk about a leap. It’s amazing the ideas that can come to people when they aren’t even trying. All I know is I‘m grateful he not only received the idea, but also implemented it within a year of his eureka moment!

Of course, many people have improved upon this astounding invention since 1902. I am extremely grateful to them as well! To those who may be thinking, “What a silly girl writing a gratitude blog about air conditioning!”, know that I write from inspiration that may change someone’s negative mindset to a positive mindset. It‘s to remind people to look for that silver lining in every moment of life. I am sitting in my home enjoying the cool breeze of the air conditioner- in gratitude. I don’t even want to know what the heat feels like today, or tomorrow, or the next day. I am grateful for our pool, in case there is some kind of outage or something, we can at least go swimming. If not that, then I know there would be another alternative somewhere out there.

Even though societal issues abound, there are still so so sooooo many blessings to be found. There is abundance everywhere you look. So many trees, mountains, flowers, water, air to breathe… I could go on and on. I just wanted to point out that it‘s so easy to talk ourselves into a terrible mood, but it‘s just as easy to talk ourselves into an awesome one.

So, next time you begin to complain about the weather, stop for a moment and find the good that comes from that weather or the things you may have at your disposal that make that weather tolerable. I know it can be hard sometimes, especially when it‘s one of the few subjects that people love to agree upon. Commiserating with each other about how bad the weather is seems to be a favorite past-time, at least in the USA.

So next time it‘s raining and you reach for your umbrella, have gratitude for the umbrella. Have gratitude for the life giving water that is being replenished. Have gratitude for the plants that will grow from the rain. And for any of you nay sayers out there who might say things like, “What about when it floods and destroys crops and people’s homes?”…

She had the choice to sulk in the disaster or find beauty even from the ashes.” -S.S. Jubilee

Wow, after writing this blog I’m feeling inspired to clean out my closet! Talk about a natural disaster - Yikes!