The temperature was 24 degrees when I set out on my early morning walk. I am tired of cold mornings. I am ready for spring to arrive. In fact, though, I have the cold weather walk thing down pretty well – a good base layer, light mid-layer, fleece gloves, and a quality wool cap. The first half mile to mile of my walk can be a little brisk, but then metabolism kicks in and I stay warm enough.

The key to staying warm but not too warm is the wool cap. Depending on the temperature, it comes off sometime in the first or second mile.  At 24 degrees, I did not take it off until the mile and a half mark. I am a hot head, and if I keep the cap on too long, I’m bound to overheat. Yes, I am a hot head, and the only way to stay cool is to let that cold air do its work.

From time to time, I meet a fellow walker or a runner wearing a cap much heavier than mine along with a hood and maybe some earmuffs. I figure he or she must be a cool head compared to my being a hot head. Good for them.

To be certain, you may encounter hot heads at times other than on a cold morning walk. Like at a presbytery meeting, or maybe at the congregation’s annual meeting, or even at the meeting of your homeowners’ association. Just for instance, of course.

I was at a presbytery meeting last weekend and we were supposed to approve what they call a descending motion from last year’s General Assembly. Most of us thought it would take 30 seconds or so to apply the rubber stamp. In all fairness, the heads weren’t overly heated, but the 30 seconds became 30 minutes, and I am pretty sure the impassioned pleas were about something other than the descending motion from the General Assembly.

When a church member rises at the congregational meeting to express her heated opinion that she wishes the pastor would part his hair on the right, she may be more concerned that he part his theology on the left.

And that hot head at the HOA meeting? I don’t want to talk about it.

Figuratively speaking, some of us need to learn to remove our wool caps in mile 1 rather than waiting until mile 3.

The Book of Proverbs reminds us that “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” Proverbs 15:18 (ESV). The word rightly translated as hot-tempered might also be translated “wrathful” or “furious.” The root word can mean hot and is related to the word for fever – maybe hot head. The hot head stirs up strife, but the cool head quiets contention.

The key to a cold morning walk is knowing when to cool your hot head by taking off your wool cap. The forecast is for a low of 20 degrees tomorrow morning.