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A Typically Atypical Portuguese Summer
Summertime in my small rural Portuguese town
The summer of 2024 is shaping up to be yet another atypical summer. To clarify the meaning of such a word, we say something is atypical when it deviates from the normal order of things.
But now comes the problem: We no longer know what is normal or abnormal regarding the weather.
It was once believed that summer was the season of warmth, prompting us to wear shorts or knee-length dresses. It was the season of sun that filled our souls with cheer, extended the days of light, and freed us from the darkness that seemed to close in. In short, it was the season of joy, one we eagerly anticipated almost all year long.
But now, with each summer that arrives and is experienced, people always say it’s another “atypical summer” for one reason or another. Two years ago, it was like hell — one of the worst I’ve ever felt in my life — in this corner of northern Portugal’s interior. Temperatures soared above 45ºC [113F] during the day and didn’t drop below 30ºC [86F] at night, leaving the whole neighborhood in a state of frenzy at night and somnambulism during the day.
Yet, it wasn’t just the scorching heat that put everyone on edge; wildfires raised temperatures even more and filled already gasping lungs with black smoke—the hell was burning both inside and out. Along came a severe drought that spread across the land.
That summer made everyone wonder, “Where did all the water go?” as we watched major Portuguese rivers disappear and our water consumption be limited. Social dynamics crumpled, and everyone was controlling whether the neighbor was doing the right or wrong thing. Some strictly adhered to water-saving rules, while others carelessly filled their private pools. It was all terrible; it was life.
The summer of 2022 was, for me, evidence that both heaven and hell exist on our third planet from the sun and not in some metaphysical realm where lost souls go. It’s all here.
That year, living near rooftops that could very well fry an egg, I felt myself entering a psychotic state, where the line separating discernment and anger blurred and where my human side came closest to that of a wild animal, ready to be either…
