The Bajau Laut people of the south-western Philippines and Indonesia live their entire lives on the sea. Known as “sea gypsies” or “sea nomads”, they inhabit amazing villages built on stilts in the middle of the ocean.
Many Bajau people do not set foot on land except to trade fish and sea…
There’s a T-shirt that lights up when you are close to your love
This should make an ideal gift for Valentine’s day :)
An Angry Solution
PROBLEM: Anger.
It’s okay; it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We are given beauty and ugliness in everything we do, say, think, and feel. Happiness is beauty. Anger is ugliness. But we need anger sometimes. We need anger, sadness, hurt, and all those other ugly feelings so we can appreciate the beautiful feelings even more.
SOLUTION: Unreasonable cold.
We’ve all been there; we’ve all been angry, hurt, and/or upset at something or someone, and sat there biting back tears because we don’t know what else to do. We’re fortunate, though; we are never given problems without a solution. If anger is your problem, then irrationality is your solution.
Try it.
Time’s almost running out for this solution. The solution only works best in winter and late fall, when cold has just settled in and frost bites the ground. The next time you’re angry, hurt, or upset (but particularly when you’re angry), dress lightly, grab your keys or whatever you need to get back inside, and go outside. Walk as far as reasonably possible, when you can barely see the building you just came out of. Sit there. Sit there
and freeze.
Don’t get up when it starts to get a little chilly. Don’t wrap your sweater or whatever you’re wearing more tightly around yourself. Don’t even consider going back for something warmer to wear. In fact, if you’re bold, take that layer off (unless that is the only layer you’re wearing. In that case, keep that layer on. The goal here is not death).
Don’t get up when you start losing feeling in your fingers. Don’t rub your hands together to warm them up. Just sit there, and be still. If you’re pressed for time, take off your shoes, and if you’re brave, peel off your socks. Expose as much as decently possible to the cold.
You’d say otherwise, but you are still reasonably cold. The goal is to get UNreasonably cold.
When you can’t feel your face, you have permission to start thinking. Why are you angry/upset/hurt? What/How did you contribute to this feeling? And perhaps most importantly, did you hurt anyone/anything in the process of being angry? In other words, do you owe someone an apology?
When you’re done thinking and you bring your mind back to reality, you’re going to realize you’re mind-numbingly cold (hopefully). Stay out there for a few more minutes. If you’ve taken layers, shoes, or socks off, keep them off for a bit longer. In fact, if you’re barefoot, walk back barefoot. The undersides of your feet could use some extra freezing.
Then, when you’re back inside and hurriedly piling on layers or ducking under your covers to warm up again, release a nice, long breath. As you start to thaw, think happy thoughts. I know: cliche, right? But do it anyway. Think nice things of the person you’re angry/upset with. As you warm up, you’ll find that it’s not all that hard to do.
This solution may not work for everyone; in fact, it can even be dangerous for some people. But I tried it last night, and I woke up feeling a lot better. A lot colder, yes, but a lot better. There is nothing like unreasonable cold to cool off your anger.
Good luck.
