100 DEGREES
Some people turn crazed when it’s hot outside. Temperatures rose steadily recently and it was interesting. I had two people drive head-on straight towards me until they pulled away at the last second and also avoided several other crashes. Drivers seemed to not understand accidents are painful. Also, I know many current cashiers are suffering. My cashier days are long behind me so I no longer have to accept sweaty money from people’s delicate areas but I KNOW it still happens. Excessive heat is just uncomfortable and it makes it hard to think of anything besides the weather.
I foolishly made the decision to give blood before the heat wave. It was my first time so I didn’t take the weather into consideration. There are a lot of steps to donating blood before they actually stick the needle in your arm. I had a great conversation with the person doing my physical but I almost passed out soon after so I forgot what we talked about. He was a great rando but I can’t put together the story. He did escort me to the snack area to make sure I didn’t fall and hit my head (which my concussion doc will appreciate) so I am thankful to him anyway.
It’s a very dehydrating process so I had to be careful to drink enough especially with the temperature increase. All of my plans to enjoy time outdoors got canned. We opted to do a list of errands and activities inside air conditioned buildings instead. One of those was jewelry repair. I have to bring my jewelry in to get checked to maintain the warranty. It’s not million dollar jewelry but it’s just the store’s way of making sure you keep seeing what they have to spend more money. The place is a bit of a destination so it makes sense. They woo you with wine, dazzle you with diamonds and ease your checkbook with credit. My friend got married there; I thought it would be bizarre but it was actually a cute ceremony. We saw a celebrity that day which was an unexpected surprise and certainly something that didn’t happen at my living room wedding.
The process requires you to stand in two different lines depending what jewelry you’re bringing in to get checked. My husband and I split up to save time so he was on his own for a little bit. My line was faster so I joined him when I was done. He asked if I wanted a drink and since I was outside in the humid hell for 85 seconds I needed something. I requested juice since I was sick of water after drinking a gallon. Luckily the store’s bar had juice but he also brought back three bottles of water. I looked at him like he was a little crazy bringing four drinks for the two of us, but he passed the extra bottles of water to the two women standing in front of us. He overheard them saying how thirsty they were and they were very grateful. Refreshed, the women chatted happily with us (mostly about the suffocating moist air but we dove into personal topics as the wait continued). When we were finally done it was like leaving friends and I was sad to stop talking.
If you ask my husband he’ll tell you he saved the women’s lives. They were parched (he comically calls it poached) and he supplied water so they didn’t die. I agreed it was a nice gesture but not necessarily a dire situation. He did save a rando once on another equally hot day during a long ago summer and got none of the thanks like he did for “saving” these jewelry ladies. We were walking off a train platform in the dark, avoiding the edge to prevent falling on electrified tracks. There was a young couple walking nearby, pushing an empty stroller while their toddler roamed free. They were caught up in an argument and not paying attention to the child. We were right by the front of the train when the little one reached out to try touching it. She nearly toppled into the void directly in the path of the train. My husband grabbed her arm, pulled her away, and returned her to the parents. They had no idea their child almost died and they yelled at him to stay away from her.
Like I mentioned before, people turn crazed when it’s hot outside. I remember my algebra teacher used to keep our classroom like a refrigerator because cold air helps you think. I suppose that implies hot air inhibits your thinking. I’m not sure if it’s a scientific fact but it definitely feels true. Watch the forecast and beware when the weather is hotter than your body temperature. The randos might love you, or they might aim their cars straight at you!