It’s been really hot, huh?

Humid. Sticky. Sweaty.

Heat smacks you the second you step outside. Unbearable.

So, it would only make sense that you might want to put on a heavy sweater over that sundress. And a shawl. Maybe earmuffs. Hand warmer?

It seems the hotter it gets outside, the more layers of clothing I see worn inside.

Which kinda makes sense since the colder it gets outside, the less I see folks wearing when they’re inside.

Did you notice that?

You also notice how sick people get this time of year.

Get those summer colds.

I’ve got one right now. It’ll take me a box of tissues just to finish this column.

Hold on…wait a second…one more…OK. Sorry, had another sneeze in me.  

Walk around and all you see are folks doing nothing but sneezing. Wheezing. Coughing. Try to work around a runny nose. Scratchy throat. Itchy eyes. Yuch. We blame it on allergies. Pollen. Mold.

I’ll tell you. It ain’t the mold — it’s the cold.

Yeah, I know it’s 90 degrees outside.

Folks sweat just trying to get out their car keys.

But when everyone goes inside to work or shop, it’s not 90. Which is good. It’s 50. If we’re lucky. That’s not good.

Ice forms on the inside of office windows. People can see their breath when they talk. They have trouble typing because their fingers are numb. Worried about summer colds?

We’re lucky we don’t have summer pneumonia.

You want to deal with the real health crises taking place in this country? Forget all the political yelling and partisan finger-pointing. We can save an awful lot of folks’ money on medicine and trips to the doctor if we’d just raise the heat.

I’ve seen folks in offices dressed in enough layers to shovel snow in the Arctic, as opposed to staying comfortable while working in an air-conditioned environment. And in the winter, when we’re all wearing layers, the office feels like a sauna.

I expect our bodies to go into shock from the sudden temperature change.

I used to kid Bonnie that even during the summer, she’d wear a turtleneck and a jacket. I told her that she was going to get sick. She reminded me that it can get cool at night and she’d rather be warm.  Now I’m the one mad at her because she didn’t remind me to bring a jacket whenever we go out. 

Who’s to blame? My guess is the folks in charge of the thermostats. They’re a ruthless bunch. With a sadistic streak. They’ve got 25-year-olds in the winter thinking they’re having hot flashes. That’s the guys.

According to a 2021 study published in Nature Journal, women are three times as likely to be uncomfortably cold in the office during the summer.

Cornell University did a study a few years back on how temperatures affect productivity and accuracy. They found chillier workers are less productive.

When thermostats were at 68 or below, typists were keying 54 percent of the time with a 25 percent error rate. Move the thermostat to 77, and the same typists were keyboarding 100 percent of the time with a 10 percent error rate. Guess it’s hard to type when you can’t feel the keyboard.

If they can keep dome stadiums at a comfortable 72 degrees, why not offices?

Or at least be consistent with the weather outside. If I’m gonna dress for summer, then give me summer everywhere. At least spring.

I can’t wait for it to get cold outside so I won’t freeze when I’m inside.

barrylewisscdemocrat@gmail.com

Barry Lewis is a longtime journalist and author who lives with his wife Bonnie in the Town of Neversink. He can be reached at      barrylewisscdemocrat@gmail.com.