The Cold

     Dealing with cold temperatures includes warmer clothes and bedding, furnaces and fireplaces, plus clearing sidewalks and roadways.  Down south, we are told to protect people, pets, plants, and pipes.  The homeless need shelter, pets need to come inside, tropical plants are covered with fabric and plastic, and exposed pipes need insulation.
     Dealing with other sources of cold unrelated to temperatures may be more complicated.  We can get quite a chill when someone seems indifferent to our needs, gives us the cold shoulder, or intentionally tries to disconnect or even "punish" us.  We may blame them for their behavior and/or think we may have caused their reaction.  Sometimes we can do something to break the ice; sometimes the situation requires both parties to warm up the relationship.
     Be sure you are not putting up a cold front.  Try to add a little layer of warmth to those around you.  Smile, talk, hug, keep an open heart and mind, empathize, and help when possible.  There is no advantage to giving off a chilly demeanor which causes others to see you as cold.

Between

     Point A is home, childhood and beyond, our past, a place of comfort and advantages.  Point B is a possibility, a step away from home, a change, often giving up the comfort and advantages of the past.  The space between A and B is fluctuating, undecided, a limbo of  neither here nor there.
     Changing our mind is a very difficult step but often a necessary one towards growth and knowledge.  Leaving point A, moving toward B, and sometimes returning to A may be a natural process of life.  Living with uncertainty, partially breaking away from one idea and exploring the possibility of another may be considered dangerous by some.  To them, holding fast to A is a mark of being steadfast and loyal.  To others, considering B is part of being a grownup.

What's Left?

 No one knows how much time remains in our lives, but we need to use wisely what's left.

 1.  Use your time, abilities, and energy, even though they may be in short supply.
 2.  Make a bucket list of what you want to do before you kick the bucket.
 3.  Organize you assets and make a will.
 4.  Look forward to being present for important family events: graduations, weddings,
     anniversaries, births of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
 5.  Tell and remind people how you love, appreciate, and admire them.
 6.  Ask for forgiveness, apologize, and forgive yourself and others.
 7.  Expand your mind, understand many points of view, empathize.
 8.  Make known your opinions and beliefs and change your mind when necessary.
 9.  Improve the environment, the political situation, and the lives of the needy.
10.  Enjoy and appreciate the present moments.

We all have ideas of how to use what's left of our lives.  What can you add to this list?

Create

     Many people take pleasure in recreating an important event, a holiday, a worship service, a personal routine.   Comfort and meaning can be found in predictability, repetition, and reinforcement.  A calendar stating yearly events that our society chooses to remember and celebrate, a weekly schedule of Monday through Friday, then Saturday and Sunday, a daily routine of activities morning, noon, and night, all of these connect us to tradition.
     Other people would rather create something new, vary or even omit what is expected, rebel against society's pressures, and resist the monotony of  living in timeworn traditions.  Creating or experiencing something new can be stimulating and refreshing.  Circumstances in our work or family life may require us to live with some traditional patterns; however, we may have more freedom than we realize.  Sometimes, we may choose to recreate the past; other times we may wish to create a new future.

Learn/Teach

     Our brains are wired to learn.  We receive information through our senses and observe people and our surroundings to make sense of the world.  We play, work, and occupy ourselves with varied activities all day long all our life long.   By observation, study, and creativity, we learn to live.
     We are also wired to teach.  We affect others through being good role models and passing on information.  Parents teach their children; we all teach each other, and we need to keep teaching ourselves.
     We learn and teach which enables us to survive, improve our lives, and pass on skills and knowledge.  Everyone needs to understand themselves, others, and the world.  The better we learn, the better we can teach.

Readers/Writers

     Many readers check out email, social media, and blogs.  They go to the internet, newspapers, magazines, and books for entertainment, information, and inspiration.  They may in turn become writers.
     Writers can take time to organize their thoughts and consider what people may want to read.  Some readers may ignore and delete, some will agree and appreciate, some will disagree.  But the writer's main objective is that you read.  The written word is what connects you to each other.
     Of course, other connections have advantages be it face-to-face or on the phone. A reader and writer, however, can control the activity on their own time.  They have the opportunity to think before expressing their thoughts or responding to the thoughts of others.  Everyone can improve their lives by becoming better readers and writers.

Do/Don't

     Nature, nurture or destiny - What makes us do what we do?  
     We are born with DNA which may give us talents to develop and limitations to overcome.  Some people believe that we are "Born This Way."  Certain characteristics are ingrained which cannot be changed but should be celebrated.  Nature is a primary influence on what we do and don't do.
     Our environment, family, culture, and religion teach us what they expect us to do and not do.  Proper parenting and education help us do the right thing and have a better life.  Poor parenting and lack of  education can lead to making bad decisions and wasting potential.  Nurture is a big influence on what we do and don't do.
     Some people believe in predestination, a calling, a plan of what is meant to be from a higher power.  They put their faith into studying and following God's will.  For them, destiny has always been a factor in what they do and don't do.
     As we grow and mature, we assume the responsibility to recognize the many influences in our lives, choose what is best for us, and plan a path toward our goals.  We can give credit or blame to nature, nurture and destiny, but when it comes right down to it, we are in charge of what we do or don't do.

True/False

     Scientifically speaking, what is true has been proven in the past or may be proven in the future.  Through scientific methods, opinions or what we hope to be  true can be studied and experimented upon.  Some unknowns can be revealed as true.  Some facts thought to be true can be proven false.  Thus we increase our knowledge of the universe.
     Outside the scientific realm, we have opinions and beliefs that seem true.  We base our thinking on what has been written or spoken by others and on our own experience and judgment.  We make our own list of what we believe is true and what we believe is false.  In some cases, we may be right; in some cases, we may be wrong.
     In many situations, we may be uncertain.  We just don't know for sure what is true or false.  We need to explore the universe of our own mind to ponder these mysteries; however, our mind is limited in what it can comprehend.  Some things we will never know for sure, whether true or false.

Up/Down

     Our health, our lives and the lives of those we know, plus events around the world can cause our emotions to reach highs and lows.  Some situations make us very happy; some make us very sad.  Feeling up and feeling down are normal reactions, but we need to keep an even keel.
     A keel is the basic foundation of a ship which contributes to its strength and stability.  It helps the vessel keep balanced and move forward rather than slipping from side to side.  We need to strengthen our emotional foundation in order to increase our stability.  Instead of slipping into the ups and downs, we need to concentrate on moving forward.  As we appreciate the high points of life, we should find contentment in the everyday.  As we live through the low points, we should try to avoid depression and return to a healthier state of mind.  Our emotions should help us stay balanced.
     Although other people can help us with the ups and downs of life, we should not depend on them to alter our moods.  When we try to empathize and help others, we should not be a crutch for them to lean on but help them gain emotional stability to go forward with their lives.
     Everyone has situations in their lives that can cause emotional extremes, but our strength, endurance, and survival depend on our emotional maturity to keep us on an even keel.

In/Out

     Some of what comes in is out of our control.  Some we can control and stop; some we can permit and welcome; some we can search for and go after.
     An endless amount of information and communication bombards our brains everyday: fact, fiction, truth, myth, exaggeration, and manipulation.  We  need to decide what is beneficial, worthless, or harmful.  We can change the channel, mute the ads, or turn off the TV.  The same process may be used with other information sources: radio, newspapers, books, internet, politicians, pundits, and personal acquaintances.  We can research info while considering the reliability of the media, writer, or speaker.
     Some of what goes out may occur automatically without forethought or good judgment.  Sometimes we can control ourselves and stop mistakes.  Sometimes, we can plan how to discuss a subject and imagine what the effect will be on others.  We can relate our experiences, explain our opinions, and create communication.  Artists, scientists, philosophers, and you may create something new to express yourself and influence others.
     Inbox, outbox, receive, send, listen, read, speak, write.  To be effective, control what comes in and what goes out.