Dog Days of Summer

By this time in the summer many people are starting to complain. Yes, the dog days of summer are right around the corner. The weather for many at this time of the year seems to stretch endlessly and produce hot and humid days. This condition brings a yearning for change and cooler weather. This same phenomenon often occurs during late winter and early spring when people complain about the cold and desire warmer weather.

When I was younger, I used to think it would be heaven to live in a climate that stayed about 75 degrees year-round and had only moderate rainfall and day after day of blue skies. I continued to believe this until I met some people who lived in such a climate. They indicated such weather became very monotonous after a few seasons. They, too, yearned for seasonal changes; some even began to complain about continually beautiful cloudless days that produced a felling of boredom.

As the old saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life.” If this were not so, why would we like to visit different restaurants, eat different foods and taste different beverages? Most of us enjoy a variety of friends. Whey do many people pay for changes in the décor of their homes and buy clothes that reflect the latest fashion trends?

The need for continual change can be very complex and involve many factors that can contribute to the problems in some individuals. They change employment frequently, won’t commit to long term relationships and are not able to set and stick with goals and plans for the future. The need for stimulation and change
may also be part of the problem that lead some individuals to attempt to escape from reality and resort to chemical and mind-altering substances.

An interesting facet of this human experience is that the desire for a lot of change often diminishes with age so that the desire for variety and multiple stimulations become things to be avoided by some older adults.

It is important to understand that the need for change and stimulation is complex , normal and varies to some degree during various points in an individual’s life. This fact is important for all of us in learning how to maintain effective lifestyles.

And remember the cooler temperatures of fall will be upon us in no time and we can leave the dog days of summer until next year.