{"id":325025,"date":"2026-06-06T02:51:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T02:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/325025\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T02:51:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T02:51:15","slug":"the-art-of-denial-surviving-summer-heat-in-west-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/325025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art Of Denial: Surviving Summer Heat In West Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year in late May and early June, many of us in West Texas participate in a strange social ritual. It happens right around the time temperatures climb into the 90s and 100s, and the wind begins to feel like a giant hair dryer, turned to high and pointed directly at your face.<\/p>\n

We lie.<\/p>\n

We post things on social media like “Beautiful day,” knowing full well that it is not.<\/p>\n

It’s 102 degrees, Cheryl.<\/p>\n

The pavement is actively melting the soles of our shoes.<\/p>\n

Even so, if you want to fit in here, there are a few ways to pretend you’re actually enjoying yourself.<\/p>\n

Talk About The Heat Like It’s Only A Minor Inconvenience<\/p>\n

Most of us hate to admit we are suffering. Instead of saying something like, “I think my soul just left my body,” we’ll say things like, “It’s a tad bit toasty, ain’t it?”<\/p>\n

Constantly Mention How Much Worse It Could Be<\/p>\n

“I remember the summer we hit 114. This is nothing.”<\/p>\n

Nobody conducts fact-checks to verify these numbers. I’m certainly not going to. They’ve never stopped a single person from a “Back in my day…” rant.<\/p>\n

Read More:\u00a0Why Tropical Icy Remains A Favorite Treat Spot In Lubbock<\/a><\/p>\n

Carry a Giant Drink Everywhere You Go<\/p>\n

The larger the cup, the easier it is to convince yourself that there is anything normal about your makeup melting off during your commute to work.<\/p>\n

Pretend Outdoor Activities Are Fun<\/p>\n

“Hey, let’s eat outside!”<\/p>\n

Hell no.<\/p>\n

“Want to go watch the baseball game!?”<\/p>\n

Also, no.<\/p>\n

“What about spending 6 hours in front of a hot grill at the cookout tomorrow?”<\/p>\n

You guessed it. Nope.<\/p>\n

Just smile politely and agree anyway.<\/p>\n

What’s the worst that could happen? 3rd degree burns from the sun and heat exhaustion…<\/p>\n

Act Shocked Every Time You Get Into Your Car<\/p>\n

Even though it happens every single day of the summer, act like you had NO IDEA the seatbelt would burn the sh*t out of that sensitive area on the side of your tummy where your shirt is slightly pulled away from, and your pants aren’t quite high enough to cover. Ouch.<\/p>\n

Celebrate Any Temperature Under 100 Degrees<\/p>\n

The moment the temp drops, even just a few degrees, is a moment to celebrate.<\/p>\n

People will start using the word “pleasant” and whatnot, even if that’s cutting it pretty close to a lie. Whatever gets you through the day, I guess.<\/p>\n

Become Weirdly Competitive About Enduring The Heat<\/p>\n

“Pssht. You think you’re hot? I mowed for 5 hours during the heat of the day.”<\/p>\n

“My car doesn’t even have air conditioning, and I’m doing alright…” (lies)<\/p>\n

Nobody wins at this. We are all losers.<\/p>\n

Read More:\u00a0Memorable Sounds Of 1990s Childhood In Lubbock<\/a><\/p>\n

Keep Saying Summer Is Almost Over<\/p>\n

It’s not. It’s only just begun. Don’t forget how much August sucks, too.<\/p>\n

Secretly Spend 94% Of Your Time Indoors<\/p>\n

This is my plan, and I’m sticking to it. My AC is set at a frigid 62 degrees and will remain untouched, no matter how high the bill gets. I don’t care. I’m not suffering the way I did when I was a kid and had no control over the thermostat.<\/p>\n

Feel free to drop by my place to cool off. Bring a sweater!<\/p>\n

Now, you’re successfully pretending you actually enjoy the summer in West Texas, just like the rest of us! Good luck, and may God have mercy on your soul.<\/p>\n

12 Ways To Lower Your Texas Electric Bill This Ultra-Hot Summer<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Chrissy<\/p>\n

7 Ways to Enjoy Summer in Lubbock When You’re Broke AF<\/p>\n

Just a couple of suggestions. FYI, some might get you arrested…<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Chrissy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every year in late May and early June, many of us in West Texas participate in a strange…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-325025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}