#i'm a weirdo who often finds sunny days depressing and rainy days rejuvenating

[novelmonger]

Slowly coming to the realization that my mood is vastly improved when I'm able to keep the windows open for at least part of the day/night. It's finally gotten cool enough that I've been able to keep the windows open all night until 9 or 10 a.m. for the past couple days, and I just found myself so...cheerful. After weeks and weeks of oppressive heat and occasional rain that would just leave things muggy and miserable, this is so refreshing.

I'm sure it has something to do with how I grew up without AC, so except for in the winter, we had the windows open a lot. I basically grew up in a desert, so even at this time of year, we'd throw open the windows at night to let all the cool air in, then shut the place up during the day. Where I live now is a different situation - I'm sorry, I'm not going to not use AC when it's 105 degrees outside with 95% humidity. But I hadn't realized just how much something as simple as opening a window was affecting my mood.

I feel like a small part of me in the back of my head is just sitting quietly, watching the dappled sunlight under the trees and feeling the cool breeze in my hair - even while I'm concentrating on work or rushing around with various responsibilities.

Maybe that's the meaning of peace. Like how you can be joyful even when you're not happy, maybe this is what peace feels like in the midst of chaos.