A dreaded word in my household.
Living in California means warm summers spent on the beach or relaxing by the pool. Californians spend countless hours out in the sun, either perfecting their tan or cooling off in the pool. As they return home they enter the doorway with a blast of cool air. Air Conditioning.
What non-Californians don't realize, is that summers in California mean 100+ degree heat. California is the third largest state in the United States, covering 163,696 square miles. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be 10 minutes away from Huntington Beach or generally live anywhere near the Pacific Ocean. Here are 7 signs that you suffered without air conditioning.
1. Sleeping On Top Of Your Bed
Most kids just put one leg out of their bed at night when it becomes too hot. But for us, the sticky air is too uncomfortable to even think about sleeping IN your bed. Blankets and comforters become no use in the summer. Even a thin sheet can cause a meltdown.
2. Having 3 High-Pressure Fans Blow Throughout the Night
This was always a fight between my two older brothers and I--not over the TV or the car, but the best fan in the house.
3. A Detailed Schedule of Window Opening/Closing
Every morning I would walk downstairs and have my mom ask, "Is your window closed?" It is imperative that the sweltering heat not enter our home from 6 am to 6 pm. At 6:01 pm, every window would be opened, allowing the cool air of the evening to sweep through the house.
4. Living in a Cave
Not only is each window shut, every blind, curtain, or shutter are closed too. Keeping the living room dark was my specialty, it became our oasis of darkness.
5. Sleepovers, Sleepovers, and More Sleepovers
Does your BFF have air conditioning? Might as well tell their parents that you're moving in for the summer.
6. A Power Outage Making Everyone Else Just As Miserable
Once every summer an electricity pole would fall down or become overheated, causing a panic from every resident who was blessed to have air conditioning in the first place. For those few short days, I was comforted by knowing everyone was just as miserable as me.
7. "When will we get Air Conditioning?!?!"
The question I would never get a straight answer to. Each time I asked it would be met with moans and groans of my parents.
For every kid that has faced countless summers of unbearable heat, one day you'll bask in the glory of air conditioning. It might have taken me 17 summers, but I have a vast appreciation towards my newly installed air conditioning system, the true hero of my future summers.
