Heat Struggle

At ten o'clock on a Sunday morning in July the day should have been filled with the sounds of shouting children, skateboard wheels on concrete, and basketballs bouncing on asphalt.

But the only sounds to be heard today were the chirping of birds and the humming of air conditioner compressors. The unrelenting heat had turned our entire subdivision into a community of recluses.

Tired of being inside, I led my granddaughter on a morning walk to playground. The subtle breeze was just enough to lift the heat from the street and swirl it around us.  Little Miss Grabby Fingers plodded on determinedly and, once the playground came in sight, actually broke into toddler's version of a jog.

But ultimately it was the heat that won out, turning energy into lethargy. Sweat poured from Little Miss Grabby Fingers' scalp despite the motion of the swing. Her head dropped forward and her eyes narrowed to exhausted slits.  She made the journey home in the crook of my arm.

As we approached the house, the heat made one last attempt to claim us for its own - whispering suggestions to simply sit down on the lawn and save the effort of climbing the five steps.  But the call of air conditioning won out over exhaustion and we won through to the cool embrace of home.