Listen Here
Column by Victoria Hansen
hansenv@findlay.edu
For me, I’ve always associated the cold weather with warm feelings of kindness and love for other people. Maybe it just reminds me of Christmas, but there’s something about sitting inside with a warm drink and watching the snow fall that makes me love the world.
All these warm feelings quickly subside the moment I remember what -2 degrees feels like.
If you grew up like me, then you probably heard the golden rule constantly: treat others the way you’d want to be treated. It was drilled into me from the time that I was born that I should always be on the lookout for how to help other people.
In the cold weather, there’s no shortage of kind things you can do for other people. Assuming you have the adequate clothing, taking a shovel and helping excavate your neighbor is an easy way to show kindness. When you’re cooking a meal, you could make some extra for any housemates or close neighbors who might want something to eat. Even if you’re enjoying your free time by staying in bed and scrolling social media, you can leave a nice comment on a post that made you smile or send a message to a friend.
I love helping others, but I think the rule works both ways: do what you would want others to do to you, but also don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you.
When it gets cold, my first reaction is to hunker down and look out for myself. Bad weather makes me want to hoard, taking enough that I’ll be set at the cost of not leaving enough for other people.
During the storm a couple or weeks ago, I ran out of milk. My first reaction was to open DoorDash and get milk delivered directly to my icy doorstep. I didn’t text any of my friends, since I didn’t want them to drive in the icy weather. It would be dangerous for them!
The irony of my priorities quickly struck me. I didn’t want anybody I loved to drive through the snowstorm, but I was perfectly willing to put a stranger’s life on the line to get me milk. Suffice it to say, I managed to use powdered milk in my macaroni and cheese.
The cold weather gives you infinite opportunities to help. Help your neighbor shovel their driveway, leave a nice comment on a post, or even make a pot of soup for your house. Just maybe stay away from DoorDashing the ingredients.
