THE COLDEST WINTERS
They say some of the coldest winters on Earth are in Russia, where the air is so cold that people retreat indoors. But I've learned that cold isn't measured by temperature alone. Sometimes it's measured by the absence of gratitude, loyalty, or kindness. You don't have to travel halfway around the world to experience that kind of chill. You can find it in any city, on any corner, even beneath the California sun.
People are quick to judge a man with a gentle spirit. They mistake kindness for weakness and generosity for someone who can be taken advantage of. A giving heart, especially in a Black man, is too often misunderstood. Society has a habit of expecting toughness while overlooking tenderness, as though compassion somehow diminishes strength. It doesn't. In fact, it takes far more courage to remain kind in a world that often rewards the opposite.
So why wear a black turtleneck in the middle of a heat wave, covering everything but your eyes? Perhaps it isn't because you're cold. Perhaps it's because you've learned that not everyone deserves access to your warmth. Healing has a way of changing a person. Once you've mended the wounds that kept you trapped in confusion, walking away no longer feels impossible. It becomes peaceful. Not because you've stopped caring, but because you've finally learned to care for yourself as well.
Friendship, love, and family all ask for the same priceless gift: time. It's the one thing no amount of money can buy back once it has been given away. Spend it with people who value it, protect it, and return it with the same sincerity. If someone chooses to squander that gift, let them.
Their choices should never become your burden.
A warm heart is one of the most beautiful things a person can possess.
Protect it. Share it wisely. Because even the kindest soul can become as cold as a Russian winter after enough disappointment. The difference is that wisdom teaches you not to freeze everyone out-only those who repeatedly mistake your warmth for something they were entitled to.