Musings & Thoughts for Wednesday, August 16, 2023, or: Welcome to Midweek, Midmonth, and a Hellishly Hot Midsummer!

Late Morning, Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Lithia, Florida

Greetings and salutations, Dear Reader.

Well, here we are again in midweek in mid-August, and it’s another miserably torrid midsummer day in Florida. As I begin this, my 1,226^th post in A Certain Point of View, Too, the temperature outside is 87°F/31°C under mostly cloudy conditions. Of course, it feels hotter than that; with humidity at 76% and the wind blowing from the east-southeast at 3 MPH/5 KMH, the heat index is 97°F/36°C. And, since it’s still morning here, the mercury is bound to rise even more as the day progresses. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 93°F/33°C.

One of these days I’m going to have to try and go out for a walk, even if it’s just to the corner and back. I admit it – regular exercise has never been a habit I have had, ever, but as late as 2015, when I still lived in South Florida, I did try to go out for walks at least once a day. If it was high summer, like it is now, I’d go out shortly after sunset and walk around the “Big Block” in the center of East Wind Lake Village. Most of the time, I’d complete the circuit – by the time I left Miami, I could do so in 14 minutes flat if I didn’t stop to chat with a neighbor.

If the temperature was still high after sundown, or if the lake was emitting foul, fishy smells, or if the mosquitoes and no-see-ums were out in full force, then I’d go back home without finishing the full “walk around the lake.”  And, of course, if it was raining or if I just didn’t feel up to it, I would not go out for a constitutional at all.

Anyway, I wish I could tolerate the sweltering temperatures we are experiencing in the Deep South this long, hot, mean season. I think one of the reasons I’m not sleeping well is a combination of a lack of exercise and stress, which affects my ability to think creatively and write consistently. And I know that walking, even just for 15-20 minutes, would do me good. But…I hate the heat, and I hate the way it makes me feel (tired, sweaty, and, above all, thirsty).

Action This Day

I slept a little better last night. I don’t think I slept enough; I have no idea at what time I fell asleep, but I suspect I was still up at midnight, trying to watch – yet again – Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. I didn’t wake up at 3 or 4 AM, which I am deeply thankful for, but I wish I’d slept till 8. I could have used the extra 90 or so minutes of sleep, you know?

On my agenda for today: I want to work on the novel, so that is what I plan to do after my midday rest break. Whether that work involves writing new words or editing existing ones, I don’t know. I’d rather add the second scene to Chapter 11 and move the story forward, but that depends on how I feel at 1 PM and sit back down in front of my PC and start typing.

Anyway, yeah. I will work on Reunion: Coda in some fashion later today. I’m a writer. It’s what I do, and it’s who I am.

But…before I can start working on the manuscript, I must publish this so I can rest for a while. So, until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll see you on the sunny side of things.