Finding the sweet spot for happiness

It’s that time of year again, mid-September, when temperatures both inside and outside of our homes fluctuate between warm and cool.

There is nothing extreme. However, conditions may convince us to wear what we’ve been wearing during the preceding warmer months. When this happens, at some point, we may experience a touch of chill. This is just the opportunity that viruses may need to take hold. Until now, your immune system may have been able to keep them in check.

The drier and cooler air may also be a factor. There is growing evidence that viruses thrive under these conditions. This is likely why the threat of flu increases substantially in the fall and winter.

About five years ago, Tyler Keop, then at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., experimented with air humidity levels in a local school. He concluded that if one ran an air humidifier in a school for one hour a day, you could reduce the number of viruses in the air by about thirty percent.

The results of this experiment were eye-opening. Unfortunately, running such a large-scale program in every space of a facility like a school is simply not practical.

What one can do though is to run home humidifiers during these months. The challenge with this strategy is to be able to hit a sweet spot. The air shouldn’t be too dry or too moist. Too dry and you may have nose bleeds and chapped lips. Too moist and you may have mold issues.

Finding that sweet spot can be a challenge.

Can you think of a list of other things where finding the sweet spot is beneficial? What is on your list? How about work and play, alone time and time with family and friends, things you need to feed your soul and what you might sacrifice for family and friends?

If you are fortunate enough to find something that somehow satisfies both needs, you are blessed. You are in that sweet spot.

God wants us to live our lives abundantly. For me, this “abundance” is not self-centered, but in giving … and in giving I receive. This is my personal sweet spot. How about you?

Walter is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and has served as parish pastor for more than 25 years.