You people think it's tough living with someone who constantly has hot flashes. Heat on; heat off. Windows open; windows shut. Air conditioners on; air conditioners off.
I KNOW.
You think living with crazy sweaty-icy people sucks.
Well, guess what! Try BEING the person constantly having hot flashes. People like us have no temperature gauge anymore.
The weather people can tell me all they want what the temperature is outside, but these numbers mean nothing. To me, it is either 30 degrees in the sun, or it is 110 degrees in the shade, doesn't matter if I'm inside or outside. My body no longer has a regulator valve.
This terrible condition causes me to open way too many windows on chilly mornings like we've had lately. When it's not chilly, I close up the house and crank the air conditioning, essentially turning the entire house into a refrigerator, which, for me, is grand.
For my son who still lives at home, it's not so grand. As a matter of fact, it sucks eggs.
Here is our usual morning conversation --
SON: It's freezing in here.
ME: Really? I'm comfortable. (Lie. I'm dripping perspiration.) Do you want me to turn off the fans?
SON: Can you close some of the windows?
ME: (grudgingly) I guess. How many should I close?
SON: ALL of them.
ME: I can't. I'll sweat to death.
SON: But, I'm freezing! I've been freezing since August.
ME: Wait until winter gets here.
SON: It IS winter. Every morning I wake up in an igloo.
Kids, middle age bites. It scratches. It melts. But the one thing middle age won't allow is the closing of windows, so surrender. Surrender or put on more layers. Those are your choices because from now until menopause passes (if it ever does), my entire life will be an igloo.
