Story Weekend: Heat
Where I live in North Carolina, the heat is all I can think about. (Okay, all I can really think about is the book that’s due August 1st, but you know what I mean!). It’s an oven outside. No matter where you live, I bet you have a heat related story, whether it’s related to the weather, your mother-in-law’s chili, or the way you feel when you watch Johnny Depp in a movie. I’d love to hear your personal heat story.
If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.
Have fun!
When my SIL lie in her hospital bed writhing in pain with a cancer that morphine wouldn’t touch I felt helpless. I met a nurse who guided me to a series of courses on becoming a Reiki practioner and I chased that dream. Soon I was able to slip into her room, see her lying in that bedwith the frayed bedcover crying and put her to sleep with my hands. Hands that had changed too many diapers, held too many hands while they were dying,hands that were bleached the colour of Javex, turned bright red and radiated the heat of healing to her hungry soul and she slept while I wept silently by her bedside. I never used that gift cause it is a gift for profit. I am sure that was never it’s intention but I lulled many a migraine from my collegues when they couldn’t afford to lose a shift at work, took the swelling down on the knee of a socceer player before a big game, eased their suffering when they had no where else to turn and then said thank you to a greater power for letting me leave my life and theirs a little less burdened. Some folks over the years have said that I am Hot Stuff. They have no idea:}
I love this, Sheree. Wish you lived closer…
Thank you Diane. Me too. I do believe that one day we will meet. I live in hope:)
Sheree, I love your stories. I think you are very talented and have a heart of gold.
You ask about heat…. I don’t think I remember real heat, the heat that is dry and warms bones and stretches muscles. The sort of heat that lets you sit outside basking in a long evening of sun, watching children dabbling in water. Or in the case of my three lolloping sons, drenching each other with whatever receptacle comes to hand!
I live in England, in the Western, wetter part and we are in the middle of the worst summer known to me! Still in winter woollies (not sure what the US translation of that is but involves dampness as does all of England at the moment )
So I’d love some heat if you could send it please.
Louise, I’ve heard about your summer from many of my UK readers. I wish we could trade a little of our hot/dry for your wet/cool.
I agree with Diane…we would definitely trade some heat for some cool and heat.
In the summer of 1960 our house got cool. For my early life I shared a back bedroom with my grandmother. When the weather was this hot we pulled down the shades in the bedroom, opened the windows at the top and turned on the fan. Nana sat in her rocker and read and I lay on my bed and read. But in 1960 we raised the roof on the house and I got my own room and the whole house got ac. But also in 1960 Nana and I lost something. We lost the companionship of that dark room and the quiet way we dispelled the heat together.
Ah, lovely, Christina.
When I was 8 years old in 1960, my parents and I took a road trip out west. Of course we had no air condition in our 1959 Buick, and the heat in the desert was ungodly! I remember being so miserable and I was whining and complaining. My Dad started telling me as we drove through some areas with lava rocks to pretend that they were icebergs and that there was snow and ice all around, Before long I began to forget about the heat and think about the cold icebergs and snow. My Dad’s been gone 7 years, and I’m 60 now, and whenever the heat gets to me I always think about my Dad’s story!
Smart Dad. I think I’ll try this when I have to go outside today.
Ah heat I’m sure I remember this. It comes from that strange yellow ball in the sky that I seem to recall is called the Sun or something similar. The joys of the British ‘Summer’ currently means raids are flooded and rivers are overflowing – very interesting when rivers line the road to work. We did have a few nice weeks – and I got to enjoy that thing called Sun through the window while I worked. Very funny though how we all cram round the window to admire it – just as we do with snow. and to think I work with doctors and midwives 😀
England sounds like heaven right about now. . .
Sounds like a perfect place for vampires to live 😉
I am so happy that we are having a better year this summer. Last year, we had 70 days of 100 plus temperatures. The forecasters have predicted that the whole United States can expect higher than normal temperatures for the summer.
We just got home from Vacation on Wednesday. We took a trip first to Trinidad CO to see our friends off on their vacation. We then rode to Roswell NM. Staying there for 2 days, first we went to Carlsbad Caverns.At least 75 stories down, it was 57 degrees. At least we had about 2 hours of coolness…lol We took one road that was narrow and winding. Along this road there were many abandoned homes. This area seemed much like Ghost Towns…it was a very desolate part of the state. On Tuesday we road to Lincoln NM where the infamous Lincoln County War was fought. Billy the Kid and his gang stood with one side and fought against the other. The further west we went, the cooler it got… We turned back east and headed for Amarillo TX. This is where we stayed the last night of our trip. You would think that we are old enough and smart enough to wear sun screen. Well we did except the last day we just forgot to put it on. Oh did I mention that we were riding our Harley….HOT it was…and my stupidity caused my lips to burn. But they are better now.
One other thing Diane, another SIGN to add to my list in the blog of the same name… Heading in to Trinidad CO, there were Deer Crossing, Elk Crossing, and one other I had never seen. Bear Crossing. OH my. I don’t know what I would do if I saw a bear crossing the Highway. 🙂
You guys from the UK, please …we will you Heat and sunshine for Wet and Cool.
Growing up in a humid coastal state I thought I knew what heat felt like, until a trip to Idaho to attend an August wedding. Although Neil Diamond recorded “Hot August Night” live at the Greek Theater in LA he could have been referring to Boise, for upon landing and picking up our bags we were immediately greeted by 109 degree dry heat as soon as we opened the airport doors and, just like Dorothy and Toto, I knew I wasn’t in Jersey (my Kansas) anymore. It literally took my breath away and I will never forget it!
BTW, anyone attending Neil’s encore performance celebrating the 40th anniversary of the famed concert this August 11th or 16th? Greatest live album ever recorded and my all time favorite!!! So,…why don’t I have tickets???