Thanksgiving Day 19: Heating (when necessary)

I currently live in a place where I probably won’t use the heater very often, but I am grateful I have it. Why? A year ago I was in a country that for some reason doesn’t put heating solutions of any kind, not fireplaces, stoves, radiators or furnaces, anywhere south of a certain latitude, and I lived south of that imaginary line. That meant that once it got cold, and it got chilly, you were always cold. You didn’t go out and then warm up when you went inside.

In fact, my students and I all went to class completely bundled up and stayed bundled up. They carry mufflers and heated-water packs to stay warm in class. It also means they are more concerned with staying warm than learning and they can’t take notes or use books successfully because their hands are in gloves and mufflers and would freeze.

You can’t tell me they don’t need it. Everyone is wearing five layers all winter long. Some people in the south, yes the very far south, had open fires in their living rooms to keep warm because they didn’t even have doors, let alone heating solutions.

So, I’m super grateful for being in a place where, even though I don’t need it, I have a heater in case a cold spell does come through. I don’t have to completely bundle up in my own apartment! I don’t have to wear long johns all the time! I’m not scared to go in my kitchen and I don’t have to try and insulate my windows with duct tape and plastic! It’s awesome! At least if I ever go back to the southern two-thirds of China in the winter, I’ll be prepared. So, even though I don’t need a heater right now or anytime in the near future I was thinking about how grateful I am for the possibility of heating.