Keeping The Fire

Humankind has sought the comfort and utility of fire for thousands of years. Fire has provided a place for stories to be told, ceremonies, our tribe to feel safe, and meat to be cooked which is speculated to have lead to the growth and evolution of our species brain by making more calories available with less digestive work. Myths like that of Prometheus stealing fire to give humanity a leg up speak to the primal power fire holds. It is more than a technology, it is a force of nature. The wood we burn was once solar energy, borrowed by the forest to grow before returning to its original form, fire. 

Tending a fire takes patience, resource management, and an understanding that when fueled with no regard to consequences can lead to catastrophe. Fire has allowed humans to explore space, travel at unimaginable speeds, and create most all modern industries and trade via factories and transportation. Our relationship with fire has also lead to a climate crisis, wars for oil, advanced weaponry and burn scars along once green mountainsides. 

If we tend to our life like a fire, perhaps we can better understand the path we are on. Anyone who has spent time building a good fire knows it doesn't happen in a flash of excitement. We must build each layer from tinder to log in a way that is stable and leaves space to breath. We mustn't smother her or pour fuel on her in frustration. We must also take into account the environment and purpose of the fire. What threat could this fire pose to my surroundings? Do I need this fire for warmth or to cook? Am I in a rainy forest or at a hearth in a cabin? A fire left unattended will either die out or consume everything around you.

The way we spend our time and focus follows these same rules. Anger can burn out of control until relationships are nothing more than ashes. Our dreams and aspirations can be forgotten and flicker out before we ever see their full potential. So today I would like you to ask yourself: What fires am I keeping? Is this a fire my community can gather around? What fires have run their course and are ready for me to put out?

Maybe today we can take a torch and dip it into the fire that no longer serves us to reignite an old passion or project that has grown dim.

A good fire does not need to be enormous to be meaningful. It only needs to be tended with care, fed with intention, and protected from the winds that would snuff it out too soon.

Some fires are meant to warm a single traveler through a cold night. Others grow large enough that all our friends and family may benefit from it. Or maybe you just need a candle to watch the light dance on your bedroom wall at night. 

The real work is not in lighting the spark, but in keeping the fire.