The heat comes from above, the mornings and evenings provide a bit of relief from the long summer days here in Alabama. Fighting roils all around, from the school boards on up to the Supreme Court, but always inside in the relief of air conditioning. States divided like never before, a perfect time for our enemy to take advantage of a distracted west. I keep my head down, days full of meandering from one place to another, collecting tidbits and books that remind me of a place I am at, snapping photos of odd times that peak my curiosity enough to fetch my phone from my pocket and point and shoot. 

My family and friends in their own worlds. Working on their projects, painting their own portrait of what is important. We must occupy time somehow, the choice in the matter of how we consume it set partially consciously, partially with what is going on or coming at us. I find that the day either runs us or we try to run it, both are a mixed bag of wins and losses, basically going in circles, passing go, moving along on a board where we pretend to chase others that play along. Moments and monuments made important in our voices, among our photos, within our circles and within the context of the weather and surroundings. 

So we head into the summer heat with abandon, pushing through the long days slowly, careful to not exceed the point of exhaustion. Like the plants outside we lay limp in the height of it, taking care inside or under canopies, the shade demotes an area of safety of relief. As things slow down, a general malaise sets in both in body and mind, a pause in our normal pursuit of hunting and gathering. Summer vacations and swimming pools providing a bastion of relief from the sweltering world we are all living in.

 

when i feel the heat, i see the light.

everest dirkenson.