It’s always been my view. I do not have the mentality to stand on the edge of a cliff and jump. Hence, I stay away from the edges. Often, very far back! Call it fear, vertigo, or common sense. I will not do some things because you never know how you will react at the moment.
We hear more and more of people who fall from a precipice while taking a selfie. Not Me!
I recently woke at 3 a.m. thinking this thought from a different perspective.
Sometimes to the edge
But never to be pushed nor prodded
I’ll make up my own mind
Between Truth and Opinion.
Or, it was something like this. I had been asleep for a couple of hours, and suddenly I was feeling chilled. Never one to get up and find more cover, I simply start closing up the holes where air can creep in – because that’s where I find it colder.
A long time ago, in a state to my North, I realized that cold and being cold are two different things. I’ve enjoyed an outing at Zero Degrees with nothing more than a lightweight fleece-style jacket. The story is different by blowing wind blowing or falling snow or rain. Cold is more than cold when the conditions warrant it. It’s miserable and deadly. In those times, you don’t want to go out without your full winter gear of parka, hood, and snow boots.
Cold is relative
It’s the Wind and Rain that makes it felt
It’s not cold at Zero unless they are felt
Then it’s pretty cold at 50 Degrees.
If cold is relative, then the same is said about the heat. I’ve heard the deep south heat and humidity compared to the dry heat of the deserts. My thought? If you can fry an egg on the sidewalk of either location, then it’s just plain hot! Except, the humidity makes it a much worse experience. At least for me.
Is It All Relative?
Truth is relative, or some would want us to believe—my truth vs. your truth.
It may be about perspective, but the key is this. Cold is cold and damaging, just as heat is hot and equally a problem.
My truth is that I would just as soon it never get over 60 degrees. That’s warm enough.
I’ve been to -75 degrees when the ambient temperature was about -48. That means it was windy and a blowing wind took the “wind chill” temperature very low. You want to be covered entirely. No skin exposed. Frostbite. Skin damage. Death can be imminent.
If I’m happy with 60 degrees as my hot point, and Zero degrees is a cold point, then drop down another 48 degrees and you’ll experience what I experienced. But let’s take 60 and add 48 degrees, and that’s just 108 degrees. Can you handle that?
I say, give me the cold before you give me the heat.
I could spend many hours determining why, but much of my heritage tells the tale. From Scotland, England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe, my DNA tells me I must like it cold, colder, coldest. Think “North Sea.”
As of 2015, the Northern Hemisphere is home to approximately 6.4 billion people, which is around 87.0% of the earth’s total human population of 7.3 billion people. [Source]
The fact that I prefer the cold north, and want to visit Antarctica as a “pleasure” trip, says much about how I’m hardwired. I worked for a local grocery store when I was a middle-aged teenager. My favorite assignment? Go into the cold storage and bring out products to stock the shelves! Ok. I was forced to wear protective gear, including gloves (wise!), or they would find someone else.
Who We Are
We cannot blame anyone for who we are, much less ourselves. Combining our gene pool from past generations sets us up to be who we are. Some like it warm and toasty. I can’t stand it.
That brings up a favorite line from an old Hollywood film, Singing in the Rain… I can’t stan’ ’em.
Our genetic map tells all, I suppose. Likes. Dislikes. And the sort. If you know who you are, then you can better choose where you are the most comfortable. For Me… Oceanfront property bordering the North Sea. Primarily England, Scotland, Wales, and Northwestern Europe. I’m surprised Norway has been excluded, but give more Genetic study time to update, and I’m even hoping for Iceland!
I suspect we are attracted to those things which come from our past. Who we are is based on choices from long ago. Someday, in the far-off future, your offspring will look at charts similar to this and wonder, as I do, what was it like back then, and over there.