by Greg Lincoln
When your natural environment becomes something that is not what you are used to, what do you do? First you endure it and through your endurance you adapt.
But adapting can be difficult, sometimes uncomfortable, and foreign. Just like this heatwave we have been having these past few days. Since we are not used to such heat, we feel uncomfortable, irritable, compromised, inconvenienced, and anxious for it to end as soon as possible.
The heat can also be dangerous to our pets and we must do everything we can to make sure they are taken care of.
Our first inclination is to find ways to cool off and you find yourself doing things that you wouldn’t normally do. Some folks have been forced to resort to doing things like wetting a towel and wrapping themselves in it. Others have even shaved off their beards. Some have gone to the local swimming hole. I know we have.
When relief finally comes we can go about our normal lives. What have you put off doing because of the heat? For some it is cooking. Cooking makes the house hotter and more unbearable than it already is. Others have avoided outdoor activity.
We love living in our cold climate. It suits us and it is refreshing, clean, crisp, and cool. We will appreciate it so much more when our temperatures finally go down. We will smile and enjoy the cool of the day. Those who are avid cooks can bake again, make stews and soups, and fry all you love.
Despite the troubles and facts of life associated with living in a cold climate environment, such as keeping the house warm and the pipes from freezing which are the big things, there is nothing that we love more.
People who live in the heat and humidity all their lives probably think the same thing.
But what if we don’t want to adapt. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. It is like when we lose a loved one. We didn’t expect it to happen, but it did, and we are forced to make changes in our lives that will now be for forever.
We hate it so much and it tears us apart. It makes us experience a sorrow and pain so deep that it seems incomprehensible – something that was not made to be understood.
At this point there is only one thing to do and that is to keep moving forward.
As part of our journey, we have made a choice and decided that we should continue to keep running as long as we are able. So, as planned on the 4th I completed my 17th year of going up Mt. Marathon in Seward. My first race was in 2003. Some think its insanity, and they may be right. Thank you for your encouragement. When we are on the verge of quitting, your help is all we need to push through and make it.
Quyana for your words of wisdom that you have shared with us. The more we endure, the more we know we can continue moving forward. Prayers and good thoughts to you all.
