When I was a kid, parents always said “Go outside, the fresh air will do you good.” Despite my nerdy exterior, you may be shocked to know that I spent quite a bit of time outside as a child. For 4 or 5 years, my brother and I had daily swimming lessons (Monday through Friday) every summer. We played kickball and German Spotlight (essentially flashlight tag) well into the evening all spring and summer. I played with my Matchbox cars in the dirt. I climbed trees. We played in the woods (and got checked for ticks regularly – even in the days before Lyme Disease). I rode my bike to friend’s houses miles away. I went horseback riding on my friend’s farm. I played tennis in my neighbor’s tennis court, and even joined him at the country club for golf from time to time.
My family would go to Maine for a week around the 4th of July and spend it with aunts, uncles, and cousins in a small lakefront cottage – water skiing, tubing, swimming, hiking through the woods (more tick inspection), even going to nearby ski resorts to go alpine sliding.
Despite the increased relevance of video games as the 80’s wore on, I still managed to get quite a good deal of “fresh air.”
But when I hit 18, I escaped from Cape Cod as fast as I could. College was my excuse, but deep down I knew that I was always a city boy raised in a small village. I had fun outdoors as a kid, but I knew that as an adult, I wanted something different. I had evolved.
Just like outgrowing Matchbox cars and German Spotlight, I think I outgrew the outdoors. After puberty, I became very hot-blooded. I radiate heat like cast iron skillet that’s been on the burner for over an hour. And if Randy thinks it’s unpleasant to spoon with me at night because of the heat I let off, can you imagine how hot I must feel as the actual radiator?
So, extensive time outdoors, particularly in the warmer months, is decidedly not for me. I feel bad for Randy, I really do. If it was up to him, we’d spend every weekend at the beach, or hiking, or going for long bike rides, or, gasp, kayaking. I think I’ve left those activities with my 13 year old self. I’ve evolved.
For example, on Saturday we spent 10 hours at our friend’s pondfr0nt house in Pembroke. A nice time was had by all..including myself (even though I didn’t go swimming as much as the others). But the best part for me was the company of good friends. That’s the part I enjoy. And that’s the part I could just as easily (or more) enjoyed in an air-conditioned bowling alley, or an air-conditioned house, or an air-conditined movie theater, or an air-conditioned…well, you get the idea. Plop those same great people in a climate-controlled, bug spray and sunblock free zone, with cushioned furniture and THAT’s what I call proper summer weekend.
So by Sunday I was natured out. On Saturday, Randy mentioned numerous times that he’d love to go to the beach on Sunday. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thrilled that the day remained mostly cloudy – putting an end to that option straight away. Hell, I even told Randy I was interested in going to the gym (again, mankind has improved physical fitness so that it now can be done in air-conditioned comfort using equipment specifically designed for certain muscles).
So while Randy would prefer doing things outside, I think I will always lean towards doing things in a manner in which human kind has evolved over time. Why do stuff outdoors where you risk heat exhaustion, Lyme Disease, Triple E, West Nile Virus, and skin cancer, when modern technology has proven that things can be safer, and more comfortable, with climate-control and plush furniture?
June 28th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments
