I'm becoming quite the expert on beating the heat in Louisiana's hot and humid July weather. I've been stuck up on the 3rd floor of an old dilapidated courthouse with no a/c for going on a month now. And not only am I surviving, I'm also learning a lot about keeping cool and keeping my focus on what it should be.
Here's how I'm staying cool this summer:
1. Dress lightly. Modesty is obviously important, but thin materials are a blessing. And let me just say that skirts are an amazing invention! I've never been much of a skirt gal until recently, but I'm loving my skirts this summer.
2. Place fans strategically in open windows, and remember the secrets of cross-ventilation.
3. If necessary, rearrange office so that desk is in a better position to feel cool breezes from open windows.
4. Drink plenty of ice water.
5. Stay still. Don't move unless you absolutely have to move ... especially if there isn't a breeze.
6. Keep a cool, damp washcloth handy. It feels amazing on the neck or forehead when you think you just might pass out from the heat.
7. Drink more ice water. It's important to stay well hydrated.
8. Place a ziplock back of ice in front of fan that is on desk.
9. Pray for cool breezes ... and don't forget to thank the Lord for them when they blow.
10. Go barefoot in office. For some reason, this really does help ... not matter how silly it looks. Besides, it is a great excuse for weekly pedicures. I now have a real need to keep my toes looking beautiful.
11. Don't wear jewelry. Again, I don't know exactly why, but it helps. I'm not nearly as hot when I forego jewelry as when I've got some on.
12. Drink a little more ice water.
13. Put snowy photos as screen saver.
14. Play Christmas music, make Christmas gift lists and dream of vacationing at a ski resort.
15. Buy plenty of snowcones from the kids who have set up a snowcone stand across the street from courthouse. Not only are you supporting the business efforts of those industrious children, but you are staying cool and hydrated. Really, I'd forgotten just how tasty a snowcone can be on a hot summer day.
16. Plan a "Beat the Heat" workshop for 4-H'ers in the parish. Plan to make healthy smoothies together.
17. Stock work freezer with popsicles.
18. Don't let certain people who like to call and ask for the temperature in the office (DAD) get you frustrated. Remember to stay pleasant and happy, knowing that the Lord will deal with them for you.
19. Find interesting and unique ways to keep laughing ... like imagining all of your coworkers coming to the office in their swimsuits. A cheerful heart feels so much better than a grumpy spirit ... even if it is a hot cheerful heart.
And last but certainly not least:
20. Perhaps the biggest thing I'm being reminded of as I sweat through this long summer is that this life isn't all about Paige ... it is all about Paige becoming more like Christ. In other words, the point of living isn't for me to discover my happy place. The point of living is for me to discover how to be more holy.
Still ... I'm going to be real happy when I can practice being holy while also being cool.
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