Vol IV: #21 Finally, Adapted to the Weather
I am proud to write, after ten years, I’ve finally adapted to the weather in Redding. The searing summers no longer bother me like they did, and the endless rainy weeks don’t bum me out. Oh? Have you not heard of them, the rainy weeks? They are the dreary distant and lesser known cousin of the summer heat, though less predictable. The rainy weeks first appear during the winter and last into early spring. And they are know to hangout for a week or three at a time, days on days of low gray clouds and rain, though the pace and volume may vary. The rain may fall as heavy mist or a steady drizzle or an outright downpour. And the amount of rain will range from a tenth of inch to 2 inches a day. And yes, they take some getting use to.
The key, I’ve found, is to get out into the weather. There’s nothing to be gained by sitting inside all day, every day. If it’s hot as an oven, I go for a walk. If it’s cold and windy and drizzling…I go for a walk.
Thankfully, California is not a humid orifice during the summer. And short walks at all times of the day have taught me to appreciate the weather each day offers- the coolness of the early morning and when the heat finally relents late in the day. Yes, the midday sun is oppressive, but this type of appreciation only comes by taking a stroll midday, when the sun is high and pounding Redding with all its might.
The rainy weeks are another matter. If the heat is oppressive, the rain is depressing. And when the wet days start to pile up, I begin to question if the sun still exists and if I’ll ever feel it warm my face again. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s true. Thankfully, last winter I decided I’d go for walks anyway. (Mostly because I refused to sit inside and stare at my drab apartment.)
The bigger takeaway, I believe, is learning to work with the seasons rather than hunker down or curse them. In Redding, it’s going to be hot as shit every summer, cold and wet in the winter. And if I let the sun and rain dictate my actions, I’d only go out in April, May, and October. But I need nature and the sun and to feel the temperatures change.
