I have been thinking a lot about the cold lately. Not the nasty virus that is the bane of existence to anyone who works with small children, but the temperature kind. I am a self-professed wimp when it comes to chilly weather, which we have had the last few nights here in Amarillo. It was 40 degrees when we went to the playground this morning and I had on a sweater, a coat, a pair of gloves and a beanie. Yes, I am a wimp. I DO NOT like being cold.
It occurred to me that I don't mind when a room is cold when it is hot outside and the AC is on. I wondered what the difference is. Cold is cold, right? After thinking about it, I came to a conclusion. There is a difference between natural cold and artificial cold.
Now I am no science aficionado. I am taking a biology class at the moment that is kicking my tail. But here is how I understand cold. It doesn't really exist. Cold is really just the absence of heat. It can be infinitely hot but once you hit absolute zero that's it. You can't get any colder. You have a total absence of heat. This is natural cold.
Artificial cold is different. In the summer when the AC is on, the room is still surrounded by heat. There is still heat outside. So it is not so much an absence of heat but a covering of heat. The room acts as an oasis in the midst of vast amounts of heat. The body knows it is really hot outside and the cold is just an illusion.
So here is the reason I can stand artificial cold but am terribly bothered by natural cold. Artificial cold is only skin-deep. Just step outside and the sun melts it away and warmth is quickly restored. Natural cold is all pervasive. It seeps into my bones and tissues. Even when I am in a well heated room. I can feel the cold licking at me from the windows and doorways. It causes discomfort on a cellular level that makes it almost impossible to remove. This is why I don't want any part of me to be cold. This is why I will be covered from head to toe if possible.
So here is my science of cold. Again let me stress, I am by no means a science expert. But then again, I always have an alternate explanation for everything. Thanks for reading.
It occurred to me that I don't mind when a room is cold when it is hot outside and the AC is on. I wondered what the difference is. Cold is cold, right? After thinking about it, I came to a conclusion. There is a difference between natural cold and artificial cold.
Now I am no science aficionado. I am taking a biology class at the moment that is kicking my tail. But here is how I understand cold. It doesn't really exist. Cold is really just the absence of heat. It can be infinitely hot but once you hit absolute zero that's it. You can't get any colder. You have a total absence of heat. This is natural cold.
Artificial cold is different. In the summer when the AC is on, the room is still surrounded by heat. There is still heat outside. So it is not so much an absence of heat but a covering of heat. The room acts as an oasis in the midst of vast amounts of heat. The body knows it is really hot outside and the cold is just an illusion.
So here is the reason I can stand artificial cold but am terribly bothered by natural cold. Artificial cold is only skin-deep. Just step outside and the sun melts it away and warmth is quickly restored. Natural cold is all pervasive. It seeps into my bones and tissues. Even when I am in a well heated room. I can feel the cold licking at me from the windows and doorways. It causes discomfort on a cellular level that makes it almost impossible to remove. This is why I don't want any part of me to be cold. This is why I will be covered from head to toe if possible.
So here is my science of cold. Again let me stress, I am by no means a science expert. But then again, I always have an alternate explanation for everything. Thanks for reading.
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