The end of July was stinking hot here in Metro Vancouver. We experienced the hottest day on record, ever, in a whole string of ridiculously hot days. The temperature was in the mid to high 30s Celsius (95 – 104F) for days on end. I realize that may not sound hot if you live in Arizona, but the problem is we don’t have air conditioning in our homes. Or at least very, very few people do. If it’s 37 degrees C outside, OK. When it’s that hot in my bedroom and rising, not so OK.
Abbotsford’s farm country
I set my jaw, determined to sit it out. If everyone else can do it, I can do it, too. Plus I like summer. It seems sort of ridiculous to complain about the hot days when I spend all year waiting for them. Really, it’s just weather. The problem is that the kids weren’t quite so stoic. They were cranky, especially Jacob. And I wasn’t at my most patient, what with the sweat pouring off my body and whatnot. Holding a clingy baby and listening to an unhappy 4-year-old just added to the oppression.
Hannah enjoying the good snack food
In the midst of this my husband came home one afternoon after spending the day in an air-conditioned office. He walked into our house and felt the wave of heat. He saw his crazed wife and children, all crying and sweating. He made a decision. It was time to flee, to seek sanctuary at his parents’ air-conditioned house in Abbotsford 45 minutes East. So we loaded up the kids, and for 3 nights we hid in the cool, cool comfort of Grannie and Grandpa’s.
Jacob eyes someone else’s bookshelf for a change
It was heaven. I got to re-visit my old stomping grounds. I showed Hannah the house I grew up in. I stopped in at Wong’s and Birchwood Dairy. I met a friend for a playdate and ate ice cream. Hannah ate the good snack food and watched far too much TV. Jacob tore a different house all to pieces. And I learned a lesson in seeking help.
Produce at Wong’s
Maybe, just maybe, I don’t have to prove a point about how I can stick it out. Maybe I don’t have to stay home because I’m so busy and important that letting everything go for a few days is just impossible. Because it isn’t. I came out of those days in Abbotsford refreshed and focused and in a much better frame of mind than if I hadn’t sought refuge. Along with the heat I escaped from my appointments and obligations and to-do list. Taking a break is good for the soul, and as I explained yesterday in the long run I think it makes you more productive. I’m so glad I did that for myself, and for my family.
PS – For the people who come here mostly to see photos of my kids (I’m looking at you, grandparents) I wanted to explain how to find my photostream since I moved everything around again. At the top right, you can see the latest photos of our adventures by clicking on the icon with the two little dots, for Flickr.
Your husband is a wise man!
It looks wonderful out there. It’s great that you had a refuge and your in-laws were willing to share for that long. Wow.
.-= *pol´s last post ..SO TIRED =-.
Sounds like a wise husband and great in-laws.
How great that you got a break. And great that you let yourself have one.
.-= Capital Mom´s last post ..And then I felt better =-.
Oh my goodness! Good for you! Having spent the last weeks of my pregnancy in 90 degree weather, I feel for you,
As “green” as our family lives, I savored our air conditioning this summer.
That farm country is BEAUTIFUL. And good for you for running away for a bit. Rest is so good.
.-= Jennifer´s last post ..Counting Blessings =-.
I’m not very good at seeking help either. I think out of habit, really, as I’ve lived very far from any family since I was 18. I probably shush the need for a break, and I’ve learned to extinguish quickly the occasional explosion, but for a while, before my daughter was born, I went to yoga classes, and I think the secret may lay in meditation
.-= Francesca´s last post ..Making special pleasures =-.
It was so hot here today too! We had all kinds of plans that we skipped just to hunker down and stay cool.
.-= Lady M´s last post ..The Return of Grand Mal Seizure Elmo =-.