The Big Clean-Up

Is everybody sick? Not mentally, I mean physically. I know of at least six people who are either getting, suffering, or recovering from cold symptoms. Several factors contribute to the rise in illnesses. First, the weather is iffy. One moment it’s sixty degrees, and an hour later it’s forty degrees. That’s not a fun situation when we’re caught outside without the appropriate outerwear. Second, warmer temperatures help germs to linger, giving us more time to be infected. Third, the back-to-back holiday celebrations brought guests  together, facilitating the spread of germs. Check out these unwanted guests:
       

                                         https://youtu.be/1xuEowtB7qg

Nothing like a strong visual image to encourage cleanliness. Doesn’t that video make you want to wash your hands, cough into your arm, and carry around a pint of hand sanitizer gel? We know whatever lurks on our hands can lead to illnesses, but so can worry, stress, depression, hate, and unforgiveness. So how do we cleanse our hearts and minds?

Waiting for Cold Water

The waters at Hilton Head beach felt as warm as ocean temperatures should ever get. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine a more comfortable time in the water, but I wonder if the aquatic life felt the same way. Placed on a spectrum, ocean waters will feel cold, cool or warm, and looking at whatever skews toward the end of the spectrum is always interesting, like this:

                                     https://youtu.be/raMILbHdhZs

Although standing knee-deep in ultra-warm water with the sound of waves lapping the shore is enough to lull me into dreamland, it’s not an ideal sleeping situation. Some things feel good, but are bad for us while things that we don’t enjoy may be highly beneficial. It takes courage to admit that we’re in a negative space. When have you disliked where you were and what helped you move past it?              

What's The Weather?

Oh, it’s not that cold outside. That’s what I thought a few days ago, and I had to laugh. When does twenty-two degrees feel comfortable? Answer: when you’re used to the daytime temperatures hovering around the single digits, with below zero wind chill factors. You know there’s an arctic freeze in town when veteran Chicagoans close schools for two days. Brrr! The past two mild winters failed to prepare us for frequent visits from polar vortexes, but nothing on earth compares to these temperature fluctuations:

                                               http://youtu.be/aDYRa74G-_Y

We can forget how much we need and depend on the sun. Someone stated that if we’re floating in space where the sun shines, we would feel boiling temperatures. If we’re on the dark side of earth, well, that’s where we’d turn into human icicles. Does it make you feel better to hear spring arrives in less than eight weeks? I suspect we’re all anticipating warmer days when we can bask in the sun. How will you celebrate?