A couple of weeks ago, I was at a Friday night spaghetti dinner/holiday crafts event at my church, First Parish UU in Milton, MA. We had a lovely gathering in our Parish Hall which -- because the church dates back to the 17th century -- has a fireplace in it. A working fireplace. Usually someone lights a fire for winter events but since no one had, I offered to do it. Knowing how to construct a healthy fire in a pit or stove is something I have cared about ever since I was a Girl Scout. It seemed like an important life skill that one should master, so I had.
I began by placing some tightly-wound newspaper rolls on the grate, then adding the smaller logs, then then topping it with dry twigs. It lit right up and we had a crackling fire added smell and ambiance to the night.
We ate our spaghetti and made our crafts, gluing tiny beads and glitter onto snowmen and trees, pushing whole cloves into oranges and generally making the floor of the Parish Hall much more colorful than it had been when the night began. And then, I realized that one of the bigger logs had rolled over and was smoldering -- not going out, but not burning either.
I used the iron poker to push the log back over, added fresh wood, and then I began to blow right at the base of the fire. Three strong, direct bellowing breaths and the grey smoke began to spark and then, with a quick rush of air, crackled back to life. We were in business.
One of the church members came up to me and said that she was impressed I knew how to do it. I told her it was a point of pride but that there was a key to the task. I said: It's all about the oxygen. Knowing where and how to direct air to revive a listing fire is the skill. Wood can be stacked in multiple ways. Sometimes I try different shapes to test my theory. But air....air must be present or there will be no fire.
And what I realized as I was talking that my words were a metaphor for this time of the year -- this *holiday* time. Holidays, even under ideal circumstances, are stressful. Even with a heart full of hope and loving intentions, falling down into your own personal rabbit hole of fear/worry/regret...you know the specifics.
This is also the time of year with the least amount of daylight so even if you aren't celebrating anything, the darkness can get to us.
But. But there is something. There is light.
I heard someone say recently: Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light. Tomorrow will be the winter solstice. Occurring at 11:28 am, we enter into Yule, Midwinter, the Shortest Day of the Year and the Longest Night. From then on, the days get longer.
I can't tell you everything will be better...or even if you celebrate a holiday now that your gatherings will give you what you wish for.
What I can give you is a reminder that you can breathe. It won't always make things right but with deep cleansing breaths, you may be able to face your next task, challenge or simply, get through the day when you haven't had enough sleep.
Your encore for today is to take those breaths, those good cleansing breaths. You probably need them more than you realize.
Remember: It's all about the oxygen.
Peace
