Melting

Today I went on a walk and it just about melted me. Every year I yearn for the heat and summer until I step out into the Texas sun and rethink everything. However, as I was walking today, covered in sweat, I thought back to only a couple days ago when I was watching flooded streets and golf ball-sized hail come pouring into the streets. This extreme weather is becoming increasingly normalized, but I can not imagine it has always been like this. 

I thought back to the nature documentary we watched in class: Before The Flood. The visuals and DiCaprio's monologue caught my attention and reminded me how urgent climate change is on our planet. From the melting ice caps in the Arctic to the severe flooding ruining farmer's crops in India. The extreme shifts in the environment do not seem to be making many even bat an eye. Texas is known for its heat and spring/summer storms are bound to happen (as an Oklahoma native I am especially keen to tornado season), however, the increasing extremes and unpredictability have me concerned and reflecting on the discussion we had after watching the in-class documentary. What I especially enjoyed about the documentary was that it gave practical practices that anyone can implement into their daily lives without having to wait for government action to occur. Ultimately, the heat today was a reminder to me and hopefully others to be intentional in choosing practices as simple as eating more chicken instead of beef.