The Hottest Days

It is finally dipping down into the 60s and 70s in DC, though on Wednesday — October, mind you — it was in the high 90s. It didn’t feel that hot when I walked outside in the afternoon. I mean, yes, it felt hot, but most of the time, I’m only outside for a few minutes at a time. You don’t really process heat when you’re spending most of your time in an air conditioned space.

But on Wednesday, I was volunteering at the kangaroo place. I was mucking one of the fields, being careful to drink a lot of water, but around 3/4th of the way through the job, I had to sit down. The world was spinning, and I thought I was going to vomit. I sat down for a few minutes in the shade and started to feel okay, but when I went back to mucking, I immediately felt clammy and shaky and ended up needing to take a break again. I spent 2.5 hours at the ranch, so not that long an amount of time outside, but I felt sick enough that I wondered if I should call Josh to drive me home.

I felt queasy for a chunk of the evening, even after a cool shower and time inside.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the last few days. There are people who work outside for hours a time, people who live without air conditioning, people who walk long distances because they don’t have transportation. The animals who live outside all year round and weren’t built for 98 degree temperatures in October. What will the world look like five years from now? Ten years from now?

Steve Irwin said, “If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things that they love.” I love this world and in a general sense, the people and animals in it. I want to believe Irwin that the world is saveable, but I’m terrified for us.