How is your summer going? What do you like about it so far?

One sizzling summer day at my old job in collections, I was on the phone asking a new client why she was unable to pay her car note.

Her simple explanation was that the air conditioning had gone out in her apartment, and she’d stayed in a classy hotel until it could be repaired. I don’t remember how that conversation finished out, but her response stuck with me. Largely because it seemed outlandish.

In the neighborhood where I grew up, everyone had a box fan or two. We kept our windows wide open praying for a cross breeze, even if it meant getting a spoon to hold the heavy wood frames up. Very few neighbors had an A/C box braced from below, hanging out a bedroom window.

Today, every neighbor in my immediate vicinity has sealed their windows and doors and cranked up the A/C. I don’t mind the heat. My daughter and I went on a road trip to the Southwest in August one year. The hottest place we traveled through was Oklahoma at a dry 112 degrees. It was the only time I even wondered about tires catching on fire.

It might be in the 90s today, but I don’t mind. I’m on my deck experimenting with different old school ways to keep cool. I’ve made ginger hibiscus tea, and while sitting in the “breeze zone” in the shade, I dip my feet in a cold bucket of water and mist my skin.

Ohio’s had their share of roof rending winds, toppled trees, destructive downpours and backyard floods deep enough to paddle a canoe. After five solid months of white skies, dreary haze and gray weather warfare, I’m not about to complain about bright sunny days in Central Ohio—even if the sidewalks start smoking.

I’m outside enjoying the day, which reminds me of going through the Texas panhandle before reaching Cadillac Ranch. Every time a cloud got between us and the sun, it felt like everything went dark and there was a noticeable temperature drop.

Just lately I enrolled in a program that sends me a point of reflection each week. Last week was practicing patience, this week: Write down what gives you energy.

The question made me realize that during recent years, my attention has been drawn to every negative, disturbing and soul-sucking event of the last half century. The message to catalog what gives me energy has me looking at how I spend my time, which apps I use, the sources where I get updates and what I’m doing to recharge my internal batteries.

You probably already know, warm weather and sunshine are on my list. Along with sungazing, barefoot grounding, tree hugging, walking in the woods, beach walking and kayaking. Al fresco dining with a friend or watching my container garden grow. It even energized me to hear birds chirping. (Lucky me, I have a tree right outside my bedroom window.)

While creating my list, I thought of one of my favorite clients, a very energized woman. During a conversation, I asked her if she’d ever made plans but when it came time to carry them out, she just felt too drained?

“Yes! But I found that when I went anyway, I got a second wind.” She taught me a lot about energy. Sometimes, energy comes not from what I get out of something, but from what I give. Or who I might meet.

You can probably name a person or two who literally drains your energy, but can you just as quickly name people, places, and activities that energize you? A list like this could come in handy when you have those days where you just feel zapped, So, dear reader, what are your energizers?

Please drop your comments below, and thanks for swinging by!