The Cold

Do you do well in the cold? Some people love it, others tolerate it, and yet, some do nothing but complain about it. I had the opportunity recently to help my wife shoot some videos and for some of them, we went to a nearby park. OK the park was actually up the canyon and it had been snowing earlier in the day. Did I mention that it was windy?

We knew it would be cold, so we prepared for it. I even wore a nice knit hat my son sent me from Peru. I was stylin’.

Our youngest daughter came to help, and we had a good time filming. But, after a while, those of us not wearing gloves because we were handling equipment that needed fingers started feeling the bite of the cold. I wasn’t complaining as I had dealt with cold before. I grew up in the country chopping wood and helping at my dad’s hardware store, so now I didn’t see it as a big deal. My daughter on the other hand was being less than excited about one more shoot.

I won’t blame her. I’ve been there, a lot. I just thought that it was interesting how my mindset had changed. Were my hands cold? Oh, yes they were. They hurt from the cold, but I chose to just keep moving on.

Perspective

That got me thinking about my ancestors. Why wouldn’t it? How did they deal with the cold? I recall my mom talking about tunneling to get out to the house when the snow was too high to shovel over the edges. The sea would freeze over so hard that wagons and cars could cross it.That was cold.

They worked in that cold to feed animals, to hunt, to get help when it was needed. Do I have a furnace? Yes. I have a hot water heater. There is insulation in my attic, and I have weatherstripping. I have no room to complain. They learned to endure hardships, I can too.

Where Do We Go?

Comparing to others can really get you down, so do not let that get to you. I know that we also have a lot in our world today that our ancestors never would have wanted to face. Being ready for hardship and trials is one of the defining factors of life. When things start getting tough, figure out how to deal with it. Perhaps it means to call on others for help. Sometimes you may need to steel yourself and push through.

Regardless of the hardship, there is a way to persevere. It may seem impossible, but there is a way. Your responsibility is to keep trying. Not trying the same thing over and over, but to keep trying. Look for new ideas. Try something that comes to mind today. Give yourself room for inspiration. I can honor my ancestors by persevering, and trying something new. That is how progress is truly made.

Perhaps you need to answer the question, “Why Me?”