Last week in Virginia we were blessed with a ‘cool spell’… yup, it was like 82 degrees outside instead of high 90’s. I was enjoying the day with a girlfriend and her daughter, walking through these amazing botanical gardens in Norfolk VA where I live. We were talking about how perfect the weather was, no clouds in the sky and comfortable, not smoldering heat.
She told me that as she is a teacher, that this time of the year is the “fight season”. Because the temperatures are so intense with such high heat and humidity everyone is raring to argue, emotions are hot and so are tempers.
August in NY where we used to live I would harvest freshly grown habanero peppers this time of year. The hotter the month was, the spicier the peppers tasted. We would use them in the fall, one pepper sauteed with some ground beef to make a pot of chili all the way through the winter.
August is in my opinion, a spicy month. The temperatures across the board are usually incredibly hot, people born in the month of August are fired up Leo’s born of pride, heat and intensity. The month is ruled by the Sun. Our passion is stronger, our tempers are hotter, the season is all about our spice, our zest for life and our strong desire and intensity.
My husband came home last week with a bag full of peppers from a co-worker… the first image that flashed in my mind after seeing the spicy prompt for this essay.
While I’m a lover of spicy foods, I also know that my fire in these late summer days can sometimes be too much and burn out of control.
That being said, I think balance is important with our spice for life. Take time to cool off. Be sure to introduce a lot of cooling activities, water, cool colors, milder foods – so that your spice in August isn’t burning too intensely. While fire is wonderful (and so is a new ghost pepper hot sauce!) all things in life require moderation.
Keep cool my spicy friends!
Natural Peace Living 