Blowing Hot and Cold

This is really getting annoying. I am thankful now that the weather turned cold again so I don't have to feel bad about dragging around! This time it's a head cold, nothing serious but no fun either.

The funny thing about a cold is that while it is called a cold, I feel hot. My head feels warm, my breath heated. At the same time, my feet and hands are cold and I want to bundle up in a sweatshirt and blanket and huddle by the fire.

Which reminded me of this story from Aesop:

Hot and Cold with the Same Breath

A man and his new friend once sat down to drink a toast to their friendship. It was a cold winter day, and the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them.

"Why are you blowing on your fingers?" the friend asked.

"My fingers are so cold, I am blowing on them to warm them up," the man explained.

Later that day the man and his friend sat down to eat. Steam rose from their bowls; the food was very hot. So the man held the bowl to his lips and blew across the soup.

"What are you doing?" asked the friend. "Are you trying to warm your soup? I assure you, it is boiling hot already!"

"Oh no," said the first man, "I am blowing on it to cool it down. It is so hot it would burn my mouth."

"Well, I cannot remain friends with you," said the second man. "One who blows hot and cold with the same breath is not one to be trusted."

Have you heard the saying, "he blows hot one minute and cold the next"?  Now you know its source.

I am off to have some more chicken noodle soup. I made a new pot today as it seems to be the only thing I really want to eat right now. So soup, and tea, and fire, and a good book are my prescription for the rest of today.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.