Overwhelming Fire

This time of year, I build a fire every morning. Building the fire starts with a little newspaper. I put tinder on top of that, and kindling on top of that. Then I light the newspaper.

As the fire starts to build, I add more kindling. Then I wait. Once everything catches and is burning steadily, I start to add larger pieces of wood. As the kindling and smaller pieces of wood burn down into a bed of bright glowing embers, I add still bigger logs. I have to be careful, though. If I add too much wood too soon, the fire gets overwhelmed and can go out.

This gets me thinking about how being overwhelmed can happen to me. Trying to do too much at once can put my fire out. What works for me is to pay attention to doing only the next right thing. I put a log on the fire and wait till it catches and is burning well. I avoid the temptation to think about everything at once, like putting all the wood on the fire at the same time.

Today, I will be paying attention to how I am pacing myself, and doing my best not to take on too much at once. That should keep my fire burning brightly.