Fire...

I have always been fascinated with fire.  No, I am not a pyromaniac, but watching the flame of a candle flicker hypnotizes me.  I haven’t been camping much.  I have only been a couple of times, and even then, I was only a child.  Up until this weekend, candles were the only type of fire I have sat and watched.  We didn’t have a fireplace or fire pit until we bought our new home. 

We live on an acre lot, and there is plenty of room to safely start a fire pit in the backyard.  My husband, Danny, has had lots of experience roughing it in the woods and camping.  So after he showed me how to build a fire and keep it going, I was hooked.  It takes a lot of work.  Not just to get a blaze started but to gather the right kind of kindling and tender for the fire as well. 

As I watched the fire I built glow with a red hot intensity, I began to think about this dream that I have owning and operating my own business and actually being good at it.  Then I realized that in this nation, we have candle people and then we have fire pit people. 

Candles are clam, consistent flames that are dependable and require very little maintenance.  The flames don’t get any larger than the wick, wax or container will allow.  Fire pits on the other hand, are a whole different beast.  The size and intensity of the flame depend solely on the conditions you provide it.  It is not contained and wrapped in a neat little package, rather it is sometimes a struggle to get it started and keep going, with embers burning and floating in the air.  It crackles and pops as the moisture and sap are burned.  The threat of it going out before it can really get started is a constant worry.

The candle people work for someone else in a work environment that is predetermined and structured to meet the needs of someone else’s company.  They have dependable work hours, paychecks and job descriptions.  At times, the peace of mind knowing where your next paycheck will come from is blanket of security that we all want to keep us warm.   

Then, there are fire pit people.  Those who gather ideas, tools, education and so forth because they believe that they can make a fire that is not contained by a supposed superior’s definition of what success is for your career, and ultimately, your life.  It is not an easy path to take.  It is filled with uncertainty, hard work and mistakes to learn from. 

When we look at what the ultimate goal is of our fire pit, we know that we will need large logs for a large fire to provide us with the security, warmth and light to sustain us.  We have gathered our tender and with passion of fire we ignite a flame we are sure will set the biggest log in the forest ablaze; only to find out that we have no base for our fire, and although the flame is hot, it is not enough to keep the logs glowing. 

In building a fire I have learned that every good fire needs a base to build on.  Some hay or dead grass is a good start.  Then, you will need some small twigs and larger sticks.  Eventually, you will be able to add that log of sustainability that provides all you need and then some. 

Every fire is different, and no two flames are the same.  I finally think that I have found my niche-something that I am really good at:  I have the ability to help people build the fire of their dreams.  With hard work and perseverance, we can build a fire to last.  I am ready and willing to help you build.

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”

-Winstin Churchhill