The Fire

Summary

The author reflects on reclaiming a neglected fire dish during the pandemic to reconnect with her boyfriend and heal the world through a fire ceremony.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's experience with a fire dish, originally purchased to rekindle her marriage but later underutilized. Amidst the pandemic's isolation, she decides to use the fire dish on a Saturday night with her boyfriend, reminiscing on the dish's past and the disconnection from her husband since 1999. Despite the marriage's end in 2015, the author finds solace and a sense of ceremony in the fire, suggesting that fire has historically been a tool for healing and transformation. She proposes using the fire to heal the world's current crises, demonstrating her belief in the power of imagination and ceremony to effect change.

Opinions

The author initially viewed the fire dish as a means to reconnect with her disengaged husband.
There is a sense of disappointment that the fire dish was not used as intended for romantic evenings.
The author's marriage is described as a "hopeless case," indicating deep-seated issues leading to separation.
The author's boyfriend is supportive, bringing firewood and engaging in the fire ceremony.
The author believes in the symbolic power of fire to heal and create, suggesting a spiritual or philosophical inclination.
There is a sense of optimism in the author's approach to using the fire dish to "heal the world," reflecting a hopeful outlook despite the pandemic's constraints.

Fire can destroy and heal

Another Saturday night and nowhere to go and nothing to do. The pandemic has closed and cancelled life for now. So it’s time to think outside the box.

I bought a fire dish in 2008 hoping to use it as a way to reconnect with my husband who had been disengaged since 1999. It seemed like a romantic activity we could do together. Sitting under the stars drinking around a warm fire.

I think we used it one time together. It became something our teenage sons used to party with their friends on the deck. I was happy to see it being used at the same time disappointed I wasn’t the one using it.

The marriage turned out to be a hopeless case. He moved into our vacation home in 2015 and never looked back.

The fire dish sits on the deck. Our sons use it less frequently like any toy whose novelty has worn off.

I decided it was my turn to sit by the fire Saturday night since staying home was about the only option. I asked my boyfriend to bring some firewood.

After a dinner that was picked up curbside, he made a roaring fire. This was turning into a fun Saturday night.

As I sat and gazed at the flames, I thought of how humans have used fire as a ceremony for millenia.

In light of the crisis the world is in currently, I decided we could use this little fire to heal the world of its ills.

“Hey, let’s gaze into the flames and heal the world of everything that is wrong right now.” I said to my boyfriend. “We can do it.”

“Like hell we can.” he said.

“Humans have used fire to create and heal forever. Why can’t we?”

I don’t claim to know how fire ceremonies work or even how to do them “correctly.” I do believe in the power of our imaginations to effect change. Some call this prayer.

Light a fire and change the world.