USA. Summer. It is 95 degrees outside, and I am shivering inside a sandwich shop.
I have discovered how Americans forge strong souls.
Outside, the sun is trying to kill everyone. Inside this small restaurant, it is winter. My breath does not fog, but it is thinking about it. A man near me is eating a cold sandwich while wearing a jacket. In summer. Indoors.
In Japan we would simply turn it down. Americans do not turn it down. And now I understand them better than they understand themselves.
This cold is not an accident. This cold is a gift.
The owner has built, inside his shop, a second season. He invites you in from the brutal heat and hands you the one thing the sun has denied you all day: a reason to be cold. To endure it is to be tempered. You walk in soft and sweating. You walk out sharp and clear, a slightly stronger person than you were.
So I did not complain. I removed my outer layer and offered it to the woman at the next table, who was hugging herself. She said, "Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you." She was not fine. Her lips were blue. But she, too, understood the training. She would not break first. I respected her deeply.
The owner asked if everything was okay.
"It is perfect," I said, through my teeth, which were chattering. "Thank you for the winter."
He said, "...I can turn the AC down if you want?"
I told him no. A man does not ask the mountain to be shorter.
I stayed two hours. I ordered a hot coffee to survive. Then a second one, to hold. By the end I could no longer feel my hands, but my spirit had never been clearer.
So now, on the hottest days, I seek out the coldest rooms. I sit. I shiver. I sharpen.
And when I finally step back out into the summer heat, and it wraps around me like a warm bath, I feel it.
Reborn.
A man who has survived the winter, in August, indoors, for the price of a sandwich.
⚠️OFFICIAL MARCH ROUTE⚠️
This weekend, we carve our names into history with our Unite The Kingdom and the West rally in central London.
Listen, carry, and share this important information with everyone attending.
The time is now.
See you all on Saturday 🇬🇧
@warDaniel47 The “war on women “ is being carried out by those who want women to believe they’re being victimized by anyone who stops them from killing as an emotional response to circumstances they bring upon themselves.
@EWTN hello! I happened to be listening to a podcast (?) immediately preceding the centennial Mass on EWTN of Mother Angelica’s birth and heard something I’d like to research, can you link me to the podcast?
@BishopBarron can you please link me to a deep dive into the 10 commandments? I need to research for a writing project and want to be on solid ground. Biggest area of concern: covetousness. Ty
One thing has been clear the past few days is that the U.S. MAIN STREAM MEDIA @CNN@abcnews@NBCNews@MSNOWNews@WHpressbriefing@POTUS have all had their reporters lead off with 'President Trump touted total air dominance...' with an air of glee that they can shove this incident into the face of The President. Remove the propaganda entities from the White House Press Pool, they are not 'NEWS' organizations.
@DataRepublican@DataInterpretr@JoelValdezDOW Congratulations! Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. 🎉 👏🏼👏🏼
Naturally legacy media is invited to congratulate the DOW for their inclusivity, but I would hold my breath. 😂 🙃
🚨THIS IS SENDING SHOCKWAVES ACROSS AMERICA: I predict Democrats will either declare war or bend the knee within HOURS.
They cannot contend with Trump relocating ICE agents to assist TSA when there are HOURS LONG wait lines across the nation.
The American people SUPPORT THIS DECISION.