Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Air conditioning an entitlement or a blessing?



When I was a kid, air conditioning was something of a rarity. As a small child, I recall sitting in front of one of those tacky window air conditioners. It was in our dining room pointing toward the living room. It was the coolest place in the house. I would sit and play blocks and little people for hours letting that air cool my skin. We didn't even have air conditioners in our cars. If I wanted to cool off, I would lay my face against the window glass in the car. It was always just a bit cooler than my face...I heard a comedian once joke about his mother soaking a cloth diaper in ice water to put on their necks and head in the car. I laughed, hard, because I could totally see that happening.

We moved away from that house, but still didn't have the most desired AC. We used oscillating fans to cool the house. I can still remember the hum and shudder of that fann in my room. Lying in my bed for an afternoon nap, that fan would turn, shudder and blow cool air across my small overheated body. The sound was lulling. Nap time wasn't something that I dreaded. Sometimes I long to hear it again, that old fan, though I'm sure it is sitting in a dump somewhere in California.

As a teenager, we moved into a new home and had that beloved AC installed. It was wonderful, but I didn't think twice about it. It became something expected. We moved from our air conditioned homes to our ac'd cars and into the lovely cool stores or offices. Rarely does the heat overwhelm.

I find myself now retreating outdoors into the heat of the summer, letting that summer sun warm and bake my skin into a sweat. When I return indoors the air conditioning, caresses my body. I appreciate the cool air. I realize that the air conditioning isn't just an entitlement, but truly a blessing.

8 comments:

  1. It's so true. Our condo faces west, and it gets super hot. Our electric bills are through the roof during the summer, but it's worth it!

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  2. Total blessing. I lived in San Marcos, TX for 4 years without AC. You can adapt. I over heat so easily but was able to survive still with fans and windows. And now a days, it costs so much to run the AC that I stick to fans. :)

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  3. I'm funny, I turn the AC down in the day and up at night. I don't mind the heat except when I'm sleeping.

    And when I was a kid we only had a swamp cooler, it's funny how quickly we forget!

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  4. I don't think I could have survived Texas without A/C. Colorado though is so mild in comparison to Texas that we rarely turn the A/C on. But I'm certain to freee my tush off this winter. I'm not looking forward to that!

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  5. Yes it is! So much you are blessed to have after you go without. We didnt have the best of air and our car didnt have any~

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  6. Air conditioning is everything to me during the sizzling months of South Carolina summer. That being said, we don't often use our heat during the winter. :)

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  7. No A/C in my house and there have been days I really, really wanted it. But at those times there's always Dad's house with AC. However, AC in the car is a must for me.....I actually use my year round - yes, there have been times during the snowy winter months where I turned it on during long drives!

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  8. When I was first married, my husband and I would go to this certain grocery store which had a walk in milk and cheese refrigerator. Ah...that was such a blessing in the scorching summer months.

    Still sleep with a fan even with the air conditioning which I so dearly love and need and never take for granted. I should live in Alaska.

    ("little people"- I remember those!! I loved the airport and the little house...)

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