Sweat

Okay, okay, so maybe this is not the most life changing or soul searching topic you have read... but have you ever spent significant time in the tropics? Vacations and travel do not count! I thought I had experienced the heat before, but living it is another matter. Working, cleaning, cooking, walking the dogs, grocery shopping, I should just throw the towel in and wear my workout clothes. I find myself pausing in front of stores that blast their air conditioning out onto the sidewalk. Shamelessly, standing there and feeling slightly cooler, if only for a moment. Do they leave their doors open to tempt us in with their cool air? Is it cheaper than advertising?

You may also be wondering about the graceful "sweaters". Yes, they are out there. Somehow, these women (and some men) wear their sweat as an elegant healthy glow. Their hair curls ever so wistfully, and their clothes never soak and stick. They stroll the streets in temperatures in the high 90's as cool as chameleons. Is there a secret I do not know? Do they smear deodorant all over their bodies? Where does the sweat go?

I am not an elegant "sweater". The moment I am in the heat the sweat begins to creep down my skin. I am sweating so much, it feels as though there is something crawling along my back. It runs in mini streams down my legs. By midmorning, my sweat-stache is in full force. I never knew my upper lip was prone to sweating profusely. It would be easy to feel angry at one's upper lip, but then I realize the poor thing is just trying to do its part. Every other conceivable place is dripping sweat, why shouldn't my upper lip. My ears have yet to start sweating, but I will not even pause when the medically improbable event occurs. This is the tropics or subtropics (input from Jake) after all.