Party Conversations
When I was younger, it was sort of a joke that when you didn’t know what to say, you would talk about the weather. It was seen as a boring topic of conversation that you would only bring up if you were trying to make small talk or felt socially awkward.
However, I went to a party recently and the group spent much of the time discussing the weather.
It was no longer the boring topic that it used to be, but rather one being regarded with increasing seriousness and caution.
Even as the party devolved into greater chaos, the topic of weather kept coming up in conversation.
My sister got heat stroke a few days before and was still recovering from it. Other friends lamented that their summer had included “one of the wettest Junes on record”, and noted how much the river by their home had risen.
One other talked about how several months ago, he and his wife had to evacuate their home temporarily due to a wildfire nearby.
We talked about the recent heatwaves, and what we’ve been doing to adapt. Those without air conditioners now sleep with frozen water bottles or in a different bed than their spouse to keep cool.
The weather welded its way into the conversation peculiarly- people were describing it in the context of extreme world events, yet also as a sort of humdrum everyday occurrence, not like the horror of a crashed airplane or a terrorist attack.
Extreme weather was becoming normal for many of us.
We compared this to our younger years.
Those who remember snowy childhoods noted that recent Christmases have been bare. People from hot climates mentioned how an extremely hot day when they were young was a normal day now.
One woman from Syria even showed us the way people have adapted to move in the heat there- slow and rolling, with their arms held out slightly from the body to increase air flow.
Other tricks are to decrease the bounce in your step to minimize effort, walk close to walls, wear light and breathable clothes, not linger in the direct sun, seek locations with moving air, or have a siesta (a midday rest during the heat of the day).
Even I had noticed that my work and exercise naturally migrated to the evenings.
Climate Changes People and Societies
Weather was shaping our most basic behaviours, fashion, work, and even our identities.
Weather has always done this- just now, it is changing rapidly.
Cities are starting to realize flaws in their infrastructure, countries are recognizing the economic toll of extreme weather, and community centers are being turned into relief stations.
The weather is no longer background noise. It is quickly inserting itself into the forefront of our lives and experience, affecting the most basic realities of life, and shaping both individuals and communities.
Instead of boring, it is now dangerously serious.
Messy Bun Book Lover
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