For the cold, I was loaned a pair of well padded thermal pants and told to put them on whenever I go outside - not instead of but over the regular ones I wear.
I was apprehensive at first - it seemed unlikely anything in this weather could keep the cold out and the warmth in. Plus, the idea of wearing double pants and the feeling of being diapered up was not very appealing. I did not belong to the right age group - it was for the very young or the very old and I was very much in between.
Reluctantly, I put them on and felt the instant warmth. Now I no longer fear the first 15mins in a cold car, the wind that cuts through the fields and used to cut through my legs, or the thick snow i sink into whenever we are out walking. Instead, I find myself very reluctantly taking them off whenever I have to.
"Double pants" used to describe a bad situation and something I couldn't control. It used to be the words I muttered as I shivered in the cold. Now they are the antidote and the practical solution.
Funny how the answer laid intuitively in the curse but this must be one of the rare occasions. I doubt "Piss" in the case of a burning house will resolve anything. Likewise, "Shit" will have either equal or even more limitations unless you are one who care less for social rules or time or place. "Fuck" on the other hand, may produce some interesting results.
