Keep Your Hats On

As I toured the University of Michigan over the holiday weekend with my husband and daughter, we were bundled up with gloves, scarves and hats to keep protected from the wicked wind. The few that came under-dressed were miserable. One prospective student had no socks on (could she possibly be smart enough to get accepted?) and the adorable tour guide from California had no gloves on (so maybe being under-dressed is the ticket for acceptance). Just watching her lip tremble as she spoke made me even colder. Fortunately, everyone had hats on!

Okay, I'll get to the point now, which is hats and keeping your head warm. It took me a long time to believe it and let's face it, not everyone looks his or her best in a hat. But it's been scientifically proven that keeping your brain warm is so critical that your body will sacrifice any other body part before it will let the brain get cold. So basically, the reason your feet and hands get freezing cold is because you are losing heat in your head area. Why? Because hands and feet are low priority and your head is top priority. 
If you prioritize keeping your head warm, you will have won half the battle in keeping your body warm.

When I heard that a third-grade class at in Buffalo Grove is collecting hats for the American Cancer Society, I thought it was a perfect mitzvah (good deed) project, especially at this cold time of year. For those who must undergo chemotherapy as a cancer treatment, these hats will keep their heads extra warm when or if they have hair loss.

Donations will be accepted until Dec. 5. You can drop off any type of hat at the temple where there is a collection box.

Stay warm and put a hat on your head and do one better, drop off a hat at Beth Am to donate to a cancer patient who really needs to keep their head warm.

As always, email me with any news, topics or ideas that you want to read about. Remember, I'd like to be the first to know! I can be reached at laurenbgpatch@aol.com.