Recently it was freezing cold in our part of the great state of Texas. The wind whipping across the flat landscape only made it feel colder. Mom was at work and our son was wanting to have a fun day. Despite the cold we bundled up and headed out to the park in the mid-morning. While the sun was out there was no heat to speak of and the park was deserted. Not a single child to be seen. No one was jogging or out walking their dog. It was, to be quite clear, very cold.
Our son had on layers of thermal underneath his outer jacket. These layers were then topped off with a warm hat. None of this would properly prepare him for the cold that awaited. As we exited our vehicle of warmth the excitement on his face didn’t immediately fade. He looked to his right to see the water and said “duck.” The wind was blowing from the water towards us. After a brief couple of steps towards the water he decided that there was no reason to head in that direction and turned his back to the wind. As luck would have it the park itself was in the other direction. We headed that way as quickly as we could.
When we finally made it to the park he asked to swing. I positioned him so that his back would remain to the wind. He tucked his little arms down near his stomach — refusing to be beaten by the cold wind at his back. We swung for mere minutes before snot began pouring out of his nose. He tried to hold on a little longer but eventually succumbed to the cold with “all done.” When we got back to the car I wiped his nose and got in the driver seat. As I adjusted the rear view mirror I realized that I, too, would need a tissue. We quickly headed home for some much earned warmth.