A Cool Day In the Heat

I can almost hear the laughter of my friends from hotter countries as I flail around, a jaded, anxious, directionless mess in 30 UK degrees.

But it’s what you’re used to, and this old nation of ours isn’t built to cope with this.

I don’t sleep properly, which any good psychologist will tell you is fundamental to solid mental health. Then my thoughts run all over the place. I can’t prioritise, so all but the most urgent, time-sensitive tasks are scattered like a burst bag of marbles. Then guilt, then the fear of professional implosion, then absolutely anything that might be troubling.

Over the weekend, during a cooler day and after a better sleep, I find a moment to nap while the kids are playing their own game nearby.

Even as I’m wrung out across the sofa like a face cloth, drifting as the Wimbledon Tennis Championships waits for the rain to pass, as the commentators drone on about all the beautiful surrounding secondary detail, my heart speeds up. Not because anything is a threat, but because I find a bizarre thrill in how perfect this scenario is – a Saturday afternoon nap during paused play at Wimbledon.

Eventually I chuckle, calm down again, and manage 15 minutes.

The heat will return, and all I can do is brace.