Building Fires

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

I kneel before the woodstove as if praying to God. And indeed, there is God in paper, kindling, and logs split with care. The strike of the match — a shortcut to divinity — then flame! Its bright light spreads wings under a plume of smoke until the kindling catches and burns clear.

This is my morning altar, where I touch warmth and what is wild, yet contained. I kindle a romping flame and angle in a second log, only to have my carefully placed air pockets collapse. The needed fuel laid my flame flat. Only bright embers remain.

This is life. Joyful with my progress in one pursuit or another, I add the next part of the adventure and oh! My calendar collapses. I land dumbfounded on the couch, shaking my head in despair. Will I find a way to proceed, to revisit and revel in that bright dance again? Sitting in a smoky gloom, I search for the energy to shift. Thank God for the Joy Collective’s weekly meetings. They help me reposition and find my brightest light.

I poke and pull the wood this way and that, carefully blowing the embers around a mouth half-full of toothpaste (double-tasking as usual). Wonder of wonders! The heavy smoke blooms into radiant light. Its flame engulfs all 3 pieces of wood. I sit back, enjoy, and integrate.

When you add fuel to your fire, where do you turn if the flame suddenly dies? Are you content with the speed of your recovery?