I am not that girl.
Most people I know dream of summer. They plan their honeymoon in the Bahamas, dream of spring break in the tropics, sock away money for a retirement in Hawaii (preferably at 30 years old). They look forward to beach weather and can't wait to throw on shorts and shades.
I have never been that girl.
Summer's all right. It's very green, and I do enjoy that. I love the warm rain one can wander in. I always appreciated the time off school--more time to read, doncha know. Despite all that, summer is my least favorite time of year. It's just...it's too hot!!!
I don't like heat. I don't like sweat. I don't like stickiness or not being able to breathe deep without feeling like you're drowning because the air is so humid. I don't like when the temperature becomes an aggressor, determined to beat you down, stabbing you with lances of cracking and exhaustion.
At least the cold puts you gently to sleep as it kills you.
What brought on this particular muse/rant? Today I learned something I can't believe I never knew before. There are missionaries whose mission is to plant trees! They go in toting trees with strong, fast-growing root systems and settle them into ground that needs that anchor to revive and recover from erosion.
"Now THAT'S a mission I could totally do!" I say gleefully to myself.
So I looked it up. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the only programs I could find that do this concentrate in Haiti, the Dominican, Tanzania (where Mom would love to go)--hot places. Really, really hot places. *sigh* I want to help this cause, and it's something I'd be willing to give up a lot to do. But how much good would I be doing if someone has to save me from heatstroke every single day?
Doesn't Europe need trees? North China? Canada? Greenland doesn't have a lot of trees--how about we go there? Or, hey, coastal areas in the US that have lost a lot of land to coastal erosion? Washington around Seattle that has lost all manner of trees frm clearcutting? Apparently not.
So I've committed to praying for at least one program. I'll be getting their updates and newsletters, and people should probably plan to get trees planted in their name. And if I ever get to work with Heifer International, I promise to do my best to push the tree program they have. I just don't think I'll be volunteering with the current plans anytime soon.
Unless it's always raining. That'd work.
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2 comments:
Ugh. I'm not a big fan of the heat either. There is only so much clothing you can take off before you're arrested.
The program sounds really interesting, though!
I love this time of year in the South. Breezy days, not hot, not cold. But it's always tinged with sadness because I know summer is coming very, very soon.
I wish I could summer somewhere mild, much like Northern folks spend their winters in Florida.
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