Feb 10: Relatively Speaking

Humidity is a relative thing. Pun intended. The "relative humidity," as the forecasters always call it, was briefly a little on the low side around here. And that got me thinking about how much I prefer air I can feel on my skin. Air with substance. Air you can almost see. After living in South Florida for nearly 20 years now, I like to feel bathed in my environment. There's a sensuality to it, for one thing. In tropical climates, the air strokes you as you move. That's rarely true up north, rarer still in the winter months when the air's so dry it disappears. You can't feel it, you can't see it and there darned sure is nothing sensual about it. The only reason you believe there's any air left is that your lungs still work. But not here, not in Fort Lauderdale. Here, the warm, humid air is your caressing friend.

So what prompted this little rhapsody on humidity, of all things? Well, as I mentioned, the relative humidity was low for a few days last week, relatively speaking. Low by South Florida standards anyway, meaning below 50 percent. I was surprised when the spell of cooler-than-normal temps and drier-than-normal air ended - surprised to find how relieved I felt when I opened my door in the morning and breathed in that lovely moister air again.

Not that I want August humidity year round, mind you. The ebb and flow of temperature and humidity down here suits me just fine, for the most part. Hot, tropical, intense in the summer; mild, temperate, gentle in the winter. No, it's only that I recognized, in a way I hadn't before, how much I genuinely enjoy humidity specifically. Not just Florida heat, but Florida humidity too. This made me reflect back on those humidifiers that northern folks plug in during the long winters. I recall that, when I was really broke in my 20s, I actually would place pans of water on my radiators so the evaporation added moisture to my apartment. When you start doing something like that, it's dry. At the beginning of this blog, I kidded that humidity is a relative thing. It's true, really. I've met Caribbean people living here now who can't stand air conditioning at any time of the year. They grew up with humid heat and that's how they like it. I've also known many New Englanders who feel they can't breathe on a moderately warm July day. As for me, I'm quite happy with today's weather, thank you. Fort Lauderdale's temperature is 77 degrees and the air is just humid enough to feel. Which sure beats putting out aluminum pans of water all over your home.