Fire and Contemplation

What is the magical allure of a fire? Almost hypnotic if you really dive into the flames with a trance.  My mind finds the yellow arrows stretch upward to take me into a moment of time where I think no thoughts.  This must be the power of now, being in the present moment.

As I get older I find I have no time for angry thoughts or angry people on an ongoing basis in my life.  In fact many days and weeks pass without any of this for us.  The Bible teaches “Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath.”  This is a good amount of time to measure how long I allow myself to be angry.

We have some relatives in our life that are so angry that every time we’re in their presence they seem to be ready to explode at the slightest inconvenience of a differing opinion from anyone?  To be calm around an angry person and not be sucked into their vacuum of self-doubt is a thermometer of strength.  Family gatherings are a great test of this faith. 

Eckhart Tolle teaches 3 thought processes for every situation” 1) acceptance, 2) enjoyment, 3) enthusiasm.  If I can perform these moment by moment then I will cause less misery in the world and achieve my inner peace.

Forgiveness of these people is for me? It took me many years to figure this out. Why should I forgive them when they are the ones causing trouble?  It is because the burden of their actions is weighing on me not them.  To want another to do something I think is right is not possible when we don’t have the same values or the ability to control another.

As I get older I find have time for more laughter, discussions of books, technology, preserving the world we live in, and sharing happy occasions with friends and family who are open to it.  I have time to invite new ideas in, listen to a differing opinion without argument, welcome knowledge from others, and generally enjoy other people and their stories.  Byron Katie teaches we all have stories we believe about ourselves and none of them are true. 

And a fireplace with a wood burning fire contemplating...  Life doesn’t get better than this.