I have a visceral reaction to sweat running down my back. I'm sure it's a me thing - many of my quirks are - but this is so specific and I'm dealing with it so intensely now that we're in DC for a month that sometimes it's all I can think about, particularly when I try to get out and explore. I want to get out and see the sights - the museums, the galleries, the city - but every time I walk out the door I'm choosing the sweat, the ick, and signing myself up for another shower in the day.
We're in DC for a month, right - and we've just come off a month in Salt Lake City, the desert. You want to know the biggest difference - the climate. Dry heat versus humidity. I never plan outfits as carefully as I do when I have to deal with the immediate sweat situation like I do when I'm on this coast. I choose everything so specifically so I'm comfortable when I step out the door and really it only solves part of the problem. I still sweat so I still have to shower and it's just one more thing to make the day long. Every adventure has a known ending of one last shower before bed, and after a full day out and about who wants to have to deal with that?
Being here makes me long for the desert. We're a week in and I miss the dry heat, the hikes with landscape views, the sun highlighting my freckles, breathing clear like I do nowhere else. The city has its benefits - I love the public transportation and how easy it is to get around, the ease of access to food both grocery and restaurants, and the culture and museums.
I'm a recluse with the humidity and an explorer in the desert.
But none of these benefits make me miss the desert any less.
If you would have asked me a decade ago where I saw myself, my answer would have been some big city condo, a New York or maybe DC, living my best life walking to the artsy areas, using the metro, being out and about all the time. But I've lived around the US now - rather quickly - and I have to say that the me that flourished in the desert is not a me I'd ever give up.
I thought I would be a ride-or-die city girl - especially after growing up in the suburbs having to drive to get anywhere or do anything. But now in my adult life that has me working remotely, I appreciate that driving to that trailhead to hike up a mountain is worth every bit of effort. Not only because the views are amazing and I'm staying active, but because I've actually left the house. I've found the best way to lure me on a hike in general is promises of sweeping valley views or dramatic mountain peaks stretched along the horizon. Views not available in any city I've found yet.
Looking at how I'm spending my month in DC and my reluctance to get out and explore in this weather has me seriously evaluating all my future travel. My latest life lesson is that I'd rather go somewhere dry and hot than anywhere humid. I'm a recluse with the humidity and an explorer in the desert.