So many people, on hearing we live in Florida, think it’s hotter than blazes down here. And it’s true that there are some days where it’s sweltering hot. The thing is, it’s damned hot in Missouri sometimes. Wisconsin too. And in both those locations when it’s that hot, the humidity is through the roof. I hated it there and I’m not crazy about it here.
What’s also true is that in both those locations it gets damned cold. And there’s snow to contend with. More snow in Wisconsin, of course, but snow is snow. And I hate snow too.
Then there’s the hurricanes, the Florida objectors say. A common comment is: I could never live where there is the chance of a hurricane. Well, true, there are hurricanes in Florida, and along the entire Gulf of Mexico coast and all up the Eastern Seaboard too.
But there are those nasty tornados throughout the Midwest, stretching into the eastern United States. I’ve been through a devastating tornado and a destructive hurricane . It’s a toss-up between which is worse, and I pray I never have to experience either on the same scale as I already have.
The West Coast of the country has their share of weather disasters, too. We’ve been through an earthquake in California. Being in a tall building during an earthquake is crazy scary. I never want to do that again. And should we even mention the wildfires that we hear about regularly out west? And mudslides. Not as common, but an occasional threat nevertheless.
When we lived in Folsom, California, we were stuck on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains for three days back in the 1980s because of a freak early snowstorm that closed Donner Pass over Veteran’s Day weekend. By the way, no matter what Johnny Cash says in his song, there is no train you can hear acomin’ anywhere near Folsom Prison.
We were on Guam in 1979 when what became Super Typhoon Tip passed 28 miles south of the island. And we were slightly affected by two volcano eruptions in our lifetime, Mt St Helens and Mt Pinatubo. They weren’t near where we lived, but Randy’s job in the Air Force during both events involved atmospheric research. Volcanic ash really messes up jet engines all over the world. Randy played a small role in monitoring and reporting concentrations of ash to maintain air safety for weeks after the eruptions.
My point is this: no matter where you live, there’s something weather related that can adversely affect you. If the fear mongers had their way, here in Florida we’d be terrified of the tsunami that’s supposed to (at some time in the future) obliterate the whole state. A few years back Floridians were being warned about an asteroid that could strike in the Gulf of Mexico and end life as we know it on the Florida peninsula. Whatever.
Coming back from Wisconsin last week I sat near a woman who had lived in Ft Myers for years and moved back to Wisconsin recently. She explained that she just couldn’t take the heat anymore. I understand that because I used to say, when we were living in Wisconsin and then in Missouri, that I hated the heat. Truth be told, I’m still not crazy about it. But I don’t like the snow and cold far more than I don’t like the heat.
Before we moved here, I asked several long-time residents about the Florida heat. Their answers boiled down to these three points.
- Living close to the Gulf Coast blesses residents with a beautiful off-shore breeze a lot of the time. Yes, it gets hot, but not nearly as stifling hot as it gets in more inland Florida. And yes, it’s hot longer than it is in the more northerly climes, but that’s a feature, not a drawback in my mind.
- You get acclimated to where you live. But with anything in life, if you go into something expecting to hate and never get past the hate, you’re always going to wallow in the hate.
- There are pools and recreational waters, air conditioning, and choices about activities during the heat. Just as northerners don’t go outside when it’s freezing cold in the winter, Floridians have a tendency to stay inside during the too hot season in Florida.
We’re all different, we all get to make our own choices. If you have the luxury of choosing where to live based on weather, there are lots of other considerations. Instead of hating the heat, I’m dwelling on the 9 months of the year when the weather down here is, in my opinion, simply magnificent.
And call me crazy, but I think the sun and sky is different in Florida. In the Midwest where I’ve lived most of my life (26 years in Wisconsin, 2 years in Illinois, and 23 years in Missouri) the seasons change, the colors are pretty, and most of the people I love live there. But the sky is gray a lot more in the Midwest than it is in Florida. I never thought much about the sky during the years when I was busy with things over which I had no control. That changed after I retired.
The last house we owned in Missouri was chosen partly for its incredible natural light. It just surrounded us when we were inside. We toured the house on a bright sunshiny day and its light and airy feel lifted my spirits and impressed us so much we made an offer on the spot.
Alas, on the gray days, it was especially dreary. Once I retired and spent a lot of time in the house during the day, I noticed how often I felt more melancholy than normal. We traveled to Florida four times in the year and a half after I retired, and I also noticed how I perceptibly brightened up whenever I was here in the sunshine instead of the gloom of Missouri.
Yes, there are risks with weather everywhere. But the warmth, the sun, the sky, the sand, and the beautiful tropical colors make my heart sing all year round. And so, as with everyone who makes conscious choices about where they live for reasons that are as unique to them as their personalities, I chose to live here, regardless of the heat and the hurricanes. Thankfully Randy gave me the gift of agreeing to move to Florida.
For 99.9% of the time I have the best environment I can imagine. I’m living the best life I never even imagined, and I vividly anticipate the joy of the rest of my life here. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. I love living in Florida.
P.S. It’s been unusually dry the last 6 months but it’s raining today. The skies are gray today but I’ll deal with that in return for the beautiful, life giving, green making rain.
Leave a Reply