Playing with Fire

Watching the flames dance, and listening to the crackle of the wood fire as it burns, can be absolutely mesmerizing. I think this is one place where a group of people can sit together talking deep into the night, but still be totally comfortable when a hush falls over the group, each with their own thoughts but still enjoying the togetherness.

I have memories of sitting around a campfire in the bush with the night sounds of the wild animals in the distance; near the beach where the sound of the waves adds to the ambiance; in the mountains where it's blissfully silent with just the occasional hooting of the owl, or at home where the chorus of frogs keep us amused when they all start and stop croaking at the same time.
Getting up every so often to warm one's hands as the night chill settles in, or moving our chairs a little closer.

^{Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash}

What is it about the flame a fire makes that we find so fascinating?

A candlelit dinner, scented candles, and birthday cake candles, all bring memories of special magical moments.

Remember those childhood days when experimenting with a magnifying glass and sunlight, very easy to burn a hole in a piece of paper with that. We were playing like kids recently and discovered it also worked using the lens of spectacles. The paper starts smoking and before you know it, there's a hole in it.

We however need to respect Mother Nature, and Fire is one of those elements not to be toyed with!

I shared the story of how my niece's son suffered severe second-degree burns to his upper body a couple of years ago when he was only nine.
His Dad asked him to fetch the firelighters, but instead, he picked up a bottle of flammable liquid which he splashed straight from the bottle onto the smoldering BBQ while his Dad went to fetch the meat.
He was in hospital for a couple of months and had several skin grafts.

Fire can cause massive destruction with bush or forest fires, often buildings burning down as well! Fires like these mostly are due to negligence or evil intent.

My message is that we need to teach our children to respect the elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and space.

There only is one planet Earth, and we should all strive to maintain the balance at all times!