don't sweat it

besides being  the kickoff to summer, this weekend has been the kickoff to summer heat. everyone who knows me knows that i can't take the heat. even as a child i couldn't . the school that i went to as a kid was backward and they finally got air conditioning installed when i was in sixth grade. until then they had the industrial strength fans which were so-so. as kids we would all sit with mini portable fans to cool ourselves off. when i was in third grade i fainted in class from the heat. i remember standing for shemonah esreh and then suddenly i found myself on the floor. it was so embarrassing.
except for my backward school, everyone where i grew up in the midwest had central air conditioning. i went to a small shul for awhile that had an air conditioning unit. it worked well, but it was so odd and foreign to me at the time.
when i was in college the dorm had a/c window units which i used as necessary.
i admit that i roughed it for awhile when i lived in a basement apartment, but even there it was a little cooler than if i had lived on a regular floor.
now that im an adult and i live in apartment on the top floor of my apartment building i would find the summers unbearable if i didn't have my air-conditioning  unit. i try not to be a shabbos guest to those who do not use a/c. the worst part is that some of those who do not use air conditioning also don't use fans.
the heat effects my skin . my psoriasis flares up and itches more in the summer. paying the extra fifty dollars a month is less money than buying medication to treat psoriasis and far more enjoyable.