If someone told me to go jump in a lake, take a long walk off a short pier, walk the plank or go swimming with the fishes, I would take it as not an insult but a grand suggestion because the HEAT IS ON in Guntersville!

As I pondered on this, the thought occurred to me that we often relate negative descriptions with heat. “He/she is a hot head” or “hot under the collar”. Sometimes heat brings unwanted feelings and it makes us want to recoil from the physical discomfort it can bring. When we are angry, we “boil up” and “see red”. When conversations become heated, it’s never a good thing. I could go on and on with such analogies but you get my point.

Years ago, I had a very wise and patient machine shop instructor (Yes, I am a machinist but I will leave that to another blog at another time) tell me that the difference between a good machinist and a great machinist is how well you correct your mistakes. I will never forget how those words struck me. The lesson can be applied to countless areas of life. First we have to realize there is a mistake and take accountability. We then have to try to make it good. Now, good is a somewhat relative term and what is good for one may not be good enough for someone else. I think at the end of the day we have to do what is best for ourselves. Our greatness is held in our own minds regardless of what other people think, say, or do. We all have a personal best and my high score is my own and no one else’s. I consider this a building of character. Everyone is on a different path at different stages of life. We are unique in our experiences. Sometimes we are in agreement and sometimes we are not. This is what makes us diverse and interesting. If we were all the same, how boring would life be? Some of you are probably cringing in disagreement of this. I just have to say, it’s ok, and let it go.

I digress, but with some connection.

You don’t have to look far on social and news media to find people getting hot headed, engaging in heated conversations and even boiling over in madness because of conflicting ideas of what is good. If heat is something we physically and mentally consider negative, then why do people engage it so willingly? Are we like moths to the flame? I am not immune to the propensity to lash out when words and ideas conflict my own. It takes a lot of resolve and discipline to stay out of the heat of battle. Anyone who has launched angry words knows that there is no reset button. The words cut and gnash at the receiver and create callouses on our hearts and in our minds that can last a lifetime. Is this who we want to be? Are we willing to go down in flames for the sake of our pride? It happens every day. Just watch the moths at night. Thousands and thousands of years in existence and they still perish for their desires. I like to think we are much smarter than the moth.

My Grandmother used to say that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. No one’s mind is ever changed because someone insulted them. We can’t control many circumstances in life, but we can control how we respond to them. Make effort to step back, cool off, take a dip in refreshing waters and renew the mind and spirit with things that are of love and appreciation. In turn, you will shine a little brighter and attract others to a good kind of light.

-Sharon