STRESS.

July was a long month.  I am not even sure why.  I cannot even figure out what was so wrong about the month.  It just seemed off.  There was a holiday smack in the middle of the week, and no one could really enjoy it because of its placement, and it was just so hot.  Ray’s birthday came and went, and we are both a year older (but this happens every year).  But without putting a finger on the exact cause, July was stressful.

 In the New York Times Science/Environment section on July 19^th of this year (Ray’s birthday), it was reported that fifty-five percent of the Continental US is under moderate to extreme drought.  One third of the US counties have been declared federal disaster areas, however this past Friday, it was also reported by the NY Times that the farm bill and emergency aid bill were not advanced due to more bipartisan bickering (so now Congress will go on vacation for five weeks, and the farmers and their families stay in jeopardy).  Not getting into politics here, but things aren’t making any sense, and it must be due to the heat and lack of rain.

July was a stressful month for Ray.  Work was stressful.  Traffic has been more stressful.  Summer months show a significant increase in the number of cars on I-95.  Traffic has actually been a nightmare for Ray most nights.  My job saw changes in staffing in July.  The changes have added undue stress because matters are not really being taken care of; they are just being pushed around a bit.

At home, things were normal/calm in July.  Ray and I remain excited about our future endeavor.  Our daughter was doing great in graduate school, and she seemed settled in her apartment.  But this has been a major life change for us.  This is of course an underlying stress factor.  That life is changing a bit.  Thoughts are different.  We want things to happen now but not necessarily now.  We have expectations but while there is a lot of support, there is also a bit of negativity and pessimism. 

Stress can cause a number of things such as obesity (no), anxiety (not really), pain (none), depression (nope—just hot), tiredness (well, Ray wakes by three am five days a week!), skin conditions (I still get pimples!) and being internally hot!  Hot flashes!  So not only has it been a very hot summer, which makes it too hot to walk after work (always a good excuse for not exercising—but no release of stress there!), but the lake water is hot. Floating is hot, and treading water is still hot.  I think I am done with the summer.  Time for the fall.  Change in season.  Change in temperatures in our bodies and the air-- I can only hope.  Hopefully, with these stress factors removed (work, traffic, negativity, pessimism), Panama heat will be a breeze!