H is for Hot

Peeking outside, the breeze is blowing the trees. The desert has a way of holding its breath when it is hot and dry. It is like the trees make their leaves just a bit smaller to conserve water and be less visible to the sun. The animals are out only early morning and dusk unless they can survive in the dark.

It is a harsh climate. There are a lot of people who can’t see the beauty of the creatures and plants that thrive here. There is little grass and the only water without rain is found in swimming pools.

I really didn’t like it when I first moved here. I came from Colorado with grass and pine trees and snow. I was ready to move as soon as I possibly could. I went away to college in norther Arizona where the climate was very similar to Colorado. I figured that I would move back to Colorado after I graduated.

But, life changes. We got married and it made more sense to stay here because of family. And as we lived here longer and created a home, slowly the desert charmed me. The beauty isn’t in your face, but it is all around. We have mountains surrounding us and blue skies most days.

But the heat…it is brutal. Not going to lie. I don’t know anyone who looks forward to the heat of summer. It is like a badge of honor, “I lived through the summer of 1989.”

It also creates a community of strong people. They live in a fiery place and thrive. The heat here has often been compared to different pieces of hell. One of my favorites that I’ve heard is “Hotter than the hinges of hell.”

And I think that it created me. We’ve lived through fires in our life and survived. Sometimes with grace and sometimes it wasn’t pretty. Sure, maybe we would have fought the same battles and came to the same place if we had chosen to settle somewhere else.

The wild woman rises like a phoenix from the ashes of her life, to become the heroine of her own legend.

Shikoba

Maybe we all need a little heat and fire once in a while to create that legend.