It was the summer of 2000, and I had hurt my knee playing basketball at the rec center where my friends liked to hang out.
I genuinely enjoyed hanging out at the recreation center with my friends during the summer, because there was all sorts of activities to do there, but the one thing I hated about it is that there was no form of central heating and air conditioning, and the only thing they had in the summer to cool us down was these cheap fans.
As a result of the oppressive heat, I decided to use my knee injury as an excuse to stay home for a couple days. Another huge motivation for me to do this is that we just recently had a brand new air conditioner installed in our home! I remember the stark contrast of how powerful and cool that new air conditioner felt compared to the old one, and I stayed home and hung out right next to the air vents. It’s not that I needed too, as the whole room was nice and cool, but I still enjoyed the feeling of the air washing directly over me! I reflected on how hot it could get at the rec center. That summer seemed to be the hottest of my childhood, and the drinks that we brought with us that were ice-cold, ended up being lukewarm in just a few hours. I sure am glad for the person that invented the air conditioner, whoever they were. I really would have liked to have thanked them for their contribution to the world, because I don’t think I would have survived childhood without good air conditioning.