COLD THOUGHTS

I grew up in brutally cold winters. One year, the entire month of January never got above zero. The snow was two feet thick and the middle of the roads were covered with lumps of packed ice.

I could spend all day playing outside in below zero weather and it never bothered me. I remember my nose and face turning red, but I don't remember being miserable. I'd come inside, warm up a bit, then go right back out. My friends were there too. At 17 below, we'd lay down on our sleds and slide down hills.

What changes in us that as adults we're concerned about how cold it is outside even though most of us just go back and forth to our cars? Are we more vulnerable to cold weather than we were when we were children?

I'm convinced it's a state of mind. As a child, time passes slower for us than it does when we're adults. Our imaginations are more fired up. We become mentally oblivious to our environment whether it's too cold or too hot. Our minds are busy cataloguing new experiences and adventures. When we're kids, the day is endless and so is the school year.

The longer we live the more responsibilities we have. The more responsibilities we have, the quicker the time goes by. When we're adults, there's more work to be done and not a lot of time to do it. That means we have to deal with the weather and its consequences. We don't go out and play during the snowstorm, we drive through it.

As adults, our minds are cluttered with serious thoughts instead of light hearted ones. Serious thoughts lead to other serious thoughts and soon we begin to experience anxiety. When that happens, our minds get jammed up and we find ourselves seeking relief.

As kids, we can stay home from school during snow storms but adults still have to try to make it into work. They have to dress appropriately for their jobs too. From salesmen to executives, they cosmically abide by whatever given dress code they're expected to observe. They have to make it around snow drifts in dress shoes and a suit and tie. They don't have the luxury of dressing for the cold as kids do.

It was just as cold out when we were young as it is now. The only difference is our thoughts about the cold. Kids see cold weather as an opportunity. Adults see it as just another challenge to their already complicated and very busy lives.