An Evening Well Spent

This evening I spent time staring into a fire. I find that almost hypnotic, don't you? It's little wonder humankind has spent so many years focusing on firelight.

We have a metal fire pit from a local big box hardware store. It spent the winter covered, but outdoors. Two weeks ago, the cover was solemnly discarded after a valiant, but ultimately fatal bout with a lawnmower. The screen of the lid apparently was never intended to withstand intense heat, and I'm man enough to admit that the best fire is a big fire. You can deduce from that statement that the screen may have been exposed to more heat than is strictly necessary for patio pyrotechnics. The fire pit is a balanced set. The holes in the screen are matched by holes in the bowl. I suspect that the bowl was not intended for Wicker Man-type fires either.

Despite the degraded equipment we are using to contain everything, I still enjoy making and watching a fire. The sunset was just finishing when I got home and started things. In little time at all, we had a fire going. In little more time at all, I had a chilled beverage in one hand and a fistful of lightly salted peanuts in the other. It was time for staring to commence.

I think the magic of flames is that it is so difficult to focus on one point. The flicker, the color variation, and the movement of the flame, not to mention the ever-changing embers, lulls me into a state of detachment. I disengage. Another benefit is that we choose to do this activity outdoors. Since not one of our fireplaces is functional, I figure we're only good for one indoor fire. And it's likely to be memorable. Until then, we're outside and I can listen to the night noises and meld with nature.

Tonight was enjoyable because my iPhone was on shuffle. It's dicey going from Ave Maria to What Would You Say? But that's how I roll. So, there was music. The basement people came up and joined me. So, there was family. A friend dropped by and helped ensure I didn't go all wacko with the chilled beverages and peanuts. So, there was sharing and camaraderie. And our guests returned from a dinner with friends. So, there was even more family. As a result there was conversation and catching up, and communal fire staring. Most of all, there was the accompanying sense of peace that comes from stopping doing and starting being. And that's an evening well spent.