MONDAY AUGUST 5, 2024 SLEEP WITH A BLANKET

 MONDAY, AUGUST 5,2024 SLEEP WITH A BLANKET

Growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the “Big Hotel” was the Hotel Roosevelt. The Hotel Roosevelt hosted conventions, gatherings, parties, wedding receptions, and more.

[Aside from that, I worked at the Hotel Roosevelt for the last two months of my senior year in High School as a busboy for $0.75 an hour!!!]

In their advertising, they said, “Sleep every night under a blanket”.  This meant when the hotel had air conditioning (even in 1965, not all places had air).

Ahh—let’s see. It is August (generally the hottest month), and there is air conditioning in my apartment (and most places I go). I’m going to write about this phenomenon.

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I don’t know why I tend to be a bit blase about air conditioning. The air conditioning in my apartment is set at 82 degrees. In the Texas mornings, the outside air is in the mid-70s, so I open my window and turn on my fan to get some outside air into my apartment.

It goes back to my thirteen years in Connecticut.  In our bedroom, the air conditioning vent was directly over my head.  When the air conditioning ran, it was like it was spitting out ice pellets on my head.  I pulled my covers (blanket) over my head until it turned off.   

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A second reason is that running the air conditioner 24/7 raised my electricity bill significantly. I think I’d rather be a bit uncomfortable without having the air blowing down on me and my electric bill going through the ceiling.

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My friend Mary runs her air about 73 degrees - and even then I think she would like it cooler.  She says she is one “hot chick”.  

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Energy (other than sunshine) costs something. Even solar energy costs to install solar panels on the roof. Hydro-electric dams cost to build and maintain—and wiring to get it to consumers. Wind turbines cost to build.  

Even fossil fuels are “maybe” a little cheaper—but as the energy people say, they are a limited resource that will someday be used (or harder to get under the Arctic shelf).  

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Even with my apartment temperature at 82, it seems like I pull my blankets up in the middle of the night - it does feel comfortable to have something over me while I sleep.

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Health experts recommend getting a good nights sleep (maybe eight hours).  If you can sleep under a blanket and wake refreshed, set your air conditioning and (in winter) your heat appropriately.

Our bodies do need rest.  

LOVE WINS - and taking care of our bodies is a form of self-love

LOVE TRANSFORMS  - and a good night of sleep transforms us.  (I also find at age 76 that a nap in the afternoon also transforms me)

Karen Anne White, August 5, 2024