I learned in a physical anthropology class that a baby will become accustomed to whatever temperature they lived in for the first six weeks of life. So if you’re born in the middle of winter you’ll prefer colder climates and if you’re first six is during the heat of a southern summer cold climates will be difficult. If we move to another region we can adapt to 15º either way.
I was born in a warm region and grew up in a region that only has a yearly variation in temperature of about 40º. We rarely saw temps lower than 30º and 80º was considered a heat wave. Most of my adult life I lived in Indiana where daily temperature variations can range 40º or more. That will sure mess you up. And yearly variations of 125º or more, are you kidding me??? A year didn’t go by that I didn’t long to move to Florida.
This natural human phenomena was brought to mind while I was visiting with friends this week from New York. We went to swim in their “heated” pool but it was freezing! They just casually enjoy the nice “warm” water. I’ve learned warmth is relative as is cold. I remember the days when the upper 60s felt so good and now I’m looking for my sweater and fuzzy sox. Where’s the afghan and my coat? Oh yah, I didn’t think I needed them anymore since I now live in Florida. Warmth has taken on new meaning.
There was a time when I was on the road that warmth made a big difference in my physical comfort and more so my mental state. I had just spent October in damp cold New England then drove five days to the sunny southwest for another month. The sunny days and dry heat thawed out my body and soul. This is one of my favorite desert spots. I laid on the warm sand and soaked up the sun. The perfect prescription for a soggy and frost-bitten soul.
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
All degrees are in Fahrenheit
Check out other posts for the “Weekly Photo Challenge: Warmth“
Geophilia Photography 