Fire!

I built the first fire of the season tonight. It was a cloudy day here in Middle Tennessee with a nip in the air that was hard to ignore. But I was reminded that one of my favorite things about winter is a fire in the fireplace. In all the years I lived in frigid, rainy Boston, I never had a working fireplace and it was one of things that I simply had to have when we bought our house here in Kingston Springs.

Winter is hard – even in Tennessee. But I can’t imagine living someplace where there are no seasons. Building a fire in the fireplace allows me, a middle-aged softy, to re-connect with the most primal of civilizing forces. To have nature’s most destructive element right in one’s living room is a truly awesome feeling. The fire not only takes the chill out of the air and creates a cozy atmosphere; it allows us to experience our ancient ancestors’ most profound source of life and sustenance. Winter is hard, but we are human – we can build a fire.