I wasn’t around for the heat wave of the ’50s described in this month’s Advocate, but I’ve lived in Dallas most of my life, and in case you hadn’t noticed, it usually gets pretty warm here in the summer.
This shouldn’t surprise us too much when you stop to think that Dallas is about on the same latitude as Casablanca, Baghdad or Lahore, Pakistan. I remember reading an article one time about Dallas-area immigrants with one man from India saying he liked North Texas because the climate reminded him of his native Punjab. So, barring some very rapid and unexpected continental drift, we might as well get used to the idea that it’s hot here in the summer — every summer.
The heat can do funny things to people, too. I remember the really bad heat wave of 1980. I was in law school in Austin, which wasn’t quite as hot as Dallas but, reading the Dallas papers every day, I was amazed to see how much crime and other antisocial behavior went up along with the mercury. Even those of us who are pretty well used to hot summers cringe at the thought of getting into our hermetically sealed oven of a car and putting our key in the ignition just long enough for it to heat up to a toasty finger-scorching temperature.
Of course, you can, like our friend from the Punjab, look at the heat as a positive, too. I try to think of our part of the world as sort of a sun-drenched tropical paradise, except with Johnson grass and dusty flatlands instead of lush foliage and sandy beaches.
Really, though, a lot of heat-loving plants will do well here as long as you remember to water them. And this is a great place to work on your tan for free — just don’t overdo it. Our warm, sunny climate also helps explain why Texas has produced so many athletes in outdoor summer sports like golf, baseball, tennis and swimming.
I try to take a positive attitude about the heat as much as possible. If I can find a shady spot, it’s relaxing for me to water the plants and then sit on the front porch swing or the back yard patio watching the flowers revive. In keeping with the faux-subtropical resort idea, my wife Patti and I are in the market for a wading pool big enough for two overgrown kids and a foot or two of cool water. And if you see a guy ambling around East Dallas on summer weekends in sandals, khaki shorts, and an extremely loud cotton Hawaiian shirt, it could well be me in my summer non-work uniform.
Our summer heat is probably also a factor in many local businesses’ eager embrace in recent years of more casual clothing at the office. I remember thinking years ago, watching a news report from Israel — and noting that most Israelis, even including the Prime Minister, seldom wore neckties — how much sense that made in their climate and how much sense it would make in ours.
So, I’ve reached the point in my life where I’ve decided to adopt a Zen-like attitude of accepting, even embracing, our summer heat. Just as many people in places like Minnesota actually enjoy their winters, I try to find things to enjoy about our summers. After all, it could be worse — at least we don’t have humidity like they do in Houston.
Of course, we’d be a lot closer to the beach, too.
