Kryptonite is a material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman. - Wikipedia
It’s not the heat it’s the humidity. – proverb
T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruelest month,” but for those of us living with the effects of multiple sclerosis in the northeastern United States, July and August can be far crueler. When climate change chased temperatures over 100 degrees with crazy humidity here in New York City a few weeks ago, I was left with two choices: to journey outside into the brutal heat for more than a few minutes and feel its debilitating effects or stay home planted squarely in front of the air-conditioner. Fortunately, my favorite coffee place is just two blocks away and the perfect destination for iced refreshment. On the few occasions I ventured out further into the heat, as when I went to the local greenmarket at noontime on a recent blazing Saturday, I ended up feeling like Frosty the Snowman when he melted inside the greenhouse. Fortunately my always helpful 12-year-old son Lucas was there to help mop me up and restore me to my former condition.
For years, any time a friend asked what effect the heat had on me, I referred without humor to Superman and Kryptonite because it I felt it was the most suitable way to explain how the heat makes me feel. It is as if Lex Luthor has defeated me once and for all.
The irony of the situation is that as result of undergoing an air-conditioner-fueled big chill, my body temperature decreases to a level where I can be extremely efficient when I go down the block to the gym and find I can lift more weight than under ordinary circumstances. But the wild swings in function can really screw with my mind, I tell you. My old man used to say he didn’t know “if he was coming or going,” Now I completely understand what he was talking about.
It is times like this that I wonder if I might be better off moving to a more temperate climate, somewhere in Canada or Northern Europe where life could be more manageable. Alas, it would be difficult to uproot my family and move away from the doctors I depend upon and the friends and culture I value so much. Plus, debillitating heat notwithstanding, New York is the city of my dreams. From the time I was a child, I always knew I’d end up here: it was destiny. Besides, MS has already forced so many adjustments upon me. Leaving New York City is simply one I am not willing to make.
And I know I could wear a cooling vest to alleviate some of the heat’s trauma, and I suppose I will eventually, but for the time being, I’m a little self-conscious about it. Twice a week I go for physical therapy, but after 25 minutes traveling in the heat on my scooter, I require half an hour of icing just to make me functional enough to undertake my usual routine: navigating a couple of hundred feet with a walker (a considerable accomplishment for me under the best of circumstances).
On certain days, like this past Saturday, it can take hours to recover from the heat. No matter how much time I spent in front of the AC, I just couldn’t reach a productive level so when I went to the gym it was an especially challenging session.
It is weather like this that can make me a little wistful and nostalgic, too. I think of some of the summer activities I can no longer undertake, like swimming in the ocean, walking on the beach, or riding on a roller coaster. Lucas gets frustrated sometimes when I can’t shoot baskets with him. Yet, I am able to appreciate the small pleasures life has to offer: reading The New York Times under the trees at our little neighborhood park, going to an Adele concert and sitting in the front row designated for folks like me with disabilities (alright, MS can have its perks), enjoying lobster rolls from Luke’s in the East Village, watching Derek Jeter get his 3,000th hit, with a home run no less.
I will not be defeated. I came to play and I’m in it for the long haul. I hope you are, too.
Peace,
Marc
marc@empirelifecoaching.com
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