When the weather is hot, keep a cool mind. When the weather is cold, keep a warm heart.

–Ajahn Brahm

People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.

– Anton Chekhov

It’s been very hot here in Northern Florida this year. The temperature hit the 100s last weekend and it’s only the first days of June. It appears that we’re breaking the heat records. Yes, summer has come racing into our lives. People barely seem to be moving as the heat blasts off buildings and up from concrete sidewalks. Air conditioners roar away.

Unfortunately, the blazing sun dries up flowers, plants, grass, ponds, lakes, even trees. Before long, one hears a lot of people complaining that it’s too hot, that it’s too early to have this kind of weather. They hope the skies will open, and there will be a major rainstorm.

But if we could just pause and stop feeling sorry for ourselves, we would realize that in many places around the world, there isn’t any air conditioning – not even fans to help people cool down. People are trying to find a shady spot under a wilting tree, others are sitting on fire escapes and hanging out windows in cities. Everyone hopes to catch a tiny bit of breeze. Sadly, many people get sick; some even die from heat stroke.

If my father were alive, he would remind me that in every event or happening that we face, even in our deepest discomfort, we need to stop and learn something from the situation. But we have to be truly open to doing that. He told me the drought and Dust Bowl of the 1930s taught people a lot of important lessons about conservation, about not wasting water, about helping each other to cope and survive by sharing what little they had.

What about us? Can we learn something from this season of high temperatures? Certainly, we know it’s a time to slow down our fast lives, to walk more slowly, to sit quietly, to meditate on the changes in the climate and to realize what we must do about that. And of course, we need to be more compassionate and caring for those who are less privileged than we are.

This summer, I’m going to try to listen to my father. I will attempt to ponder the heat and what it means to me and to others around the world. I remember Ecclesiastes 3: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Yes, we have so much to ponder and to learn – even from the heat.

* Can you stop complaining about the heat and learn something during the hot weather?

* Can you be more aware of the millions of people who have no way to cool themselves?

Beloved Creator, as we go through these days of heat, help us to learn something. May we take appropriate actions of compassion and kindness to others and to our planet. May we be reminded to slow down, to leave our work behind, to rest and restore our souls. May we feel the heat of Your Presence in our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com