Middle-Pause Pump-Priming Prompt

In the Dog Days of August, How Do You Keep Kool?

When it’s hot outside, or under fire, pressure, or other kinds of ‘heat?’

It’s August. That means the dog days are upon us.

What the heck are the dog days, besides hot?

Turns out the canine in question is a star. Not a celebrity star. One in the sky.

According to the Farmers’ Almanac.com:

The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the “Dog Days” period, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Sirius is a part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or “dog days.”

Thus, the term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun — July 3 to August 11 each year.

Thanks to Climate Change and other factors, days of sweltering heat don’t neatly confine themselves to those forty days. In our area, the summer’s been mild. Highs in the 70s or low 80s, with a few spikes. The day it hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit, I ended up in the Emergency Room (LINK) with what I believe was heat exhaustion.

No doubt some of you are going, 97? Are you kidding?!!! Try 115 and see how we feel! I hear you and I feel bad. And oh so grateful for where I live.

My question is, how do you do it?

Which just so happens to be this week’s Middle-Pause Pump-Priming Prompt. How do you keep yourself, and I mean your whole self — body, mind, and spirit–cool, and not lose your cool in the extreme or any kind of heat?

Don’t limit yourself to temperature heat. The other meaning of the question is how do you stay cool, calm, and collected in extremely heated discussions? Or emergency situations?

We often hear about parents, especially moms, doing amazing things in the heat of an urgent moment. Like lifting a Volkswagon Beetle up off of their child caught under the wheel. Then they fall apart after, if at all.

Are these the same moms who nurse their entire family through a nasty bout of flu without a tickle or a cough themselves? And only when everyone is fully recovered do they succumb to the virus they’ve been living in the thick of for days or weeks.

So to recap — how do you stay cool when it’s hot outside, or stay cool under fire, pressure, or other kinds of ‘heat?’

I’ll go first just to heat things up.

Staying Kool When it’s Hot Outside:

We don’t have air conditioning and don’t really need it. Hardly use our fans until the temp hits the 90s.

We close our drapes, especially the big-picture windows that get the most sun. We make sure we have lots of ice cubes to cool down drinks. We put water bottles in the freezer. And we don’t cook.

You probably do all those things.

I put grapes and bananas in the freezer and snack on them like popsicles. I’ve been known to put coffee in an icecube tray to cool my coffee without diluting it.

On a hot day, I keep a wet washcloth near me at all times so I can wet my face, arms, legs, feet, etc. frequently. I’ll wear as few clothes as possible and eschew waistbands as best I can. I prefer my denim skirt to shorts. Don’t like having fabric between my thighs. Plus I can dab them with the washcloth.

If I have a spray bottle, I like to spritz myself. I’ll also tie a wet bandana around my neck, cowboy style. Taking cool showers helps. Except when it didn’t on that 97-degree day. That’s how I knew something was wrong. Usually, they do the trick.

I have friends who went to the Cineplex to watch movies all day long. Usually on the price of one ticket. Probably harder to do nowadays.

When Shaunta Grimes’ family lived in Reno, they used to sleep on and under wet sheets. Or even put on wet clothes if the power went out and they had no AC. Having wet hair helps.

Keeping Kool When the Heat Comes from People or Situations.

Which can include the power going out or the AC breaking. People arguing, yelling, doing in your face crazy things.

First of all, ensure safety. Get you and your, kids, elders, etc out of danger. Walk or run away from the source of the craziness if at all possible.

I do my best to stay calm.

I take deep breaths and don’t try to talk or argue back. I’ve learned that makes things worse. If I have to interrupt them to take care of myself I make it about me. Not them. So as not to egg them on.

I might say something like, sorry I need to get some air, or pee if I have to. Only if I know them well do I say something more like, this isn’t working. Let’s talk when we’re both cooler. Notice I don’t say you, I say we. Simply to diffuse the energy, not to let them off the hook.

If they’re raging out of control, they’re in their lizard brain. No access to their frontal cortex. No reasoning with them. Trying makes things worse so I don’t even try. They can’t process till they cool down.

Raising my voice also makes things worse. I lower my voice, whisper even. Sometimes the other person leans in to hear me and lowers their voice. They may not be that tuned in, but I at least try.

All the while, I’m taking deep breaths and doing my best not to match their body language. If anything, I want them to entrain with mine. I don’t make any sudden movements unless it’s to high tail it outta there. And under my slowed breath, I am either praying or reciting a mantra of some kind. Like peace, be still.

Wonder if that works for the weather? Peace, be Kool. I’ll have to try it next time.

In the meantime, that was me, how about you?

Again, the pump-priming prompt is: How do you keep yourself, and I mean your whole self — body, mind, and spirit–cool, and not lose your cool in the extreme or any kind of heat?

Looking forward to hearing from you — in the comments, or in a story, short-form or long. How do you beat the heat and keep Kool?

What are you ‘too old’ or ‘too scared’ to do? Let me show you how!

Marilyn Flower’s the author of Creative Blogging: Ninja Writers Guide to Character Development and Bucket Listers, Get Your Brave On. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Follow her Sacred Foolishness and Stay in touch!