Bridget Bryan

Hope Writer challenge, day 4/5.

A spark happens when a small fiery particle is thrown off from a fire, or when two hard surfaces such as stone or metal are struck together. These sparks can ignite greater fires, even mighty ones. 

Have you ever sat down late in the evening to a friend’s bonfire, or your own little candle? It’s all dark out, all around you, and yet the fire blazes in front of you? You’re drawn into the flames.

You slow down enough to watch it, look at, feel its warm glow. You become mesmerized. 

You rest in their glow. And gradually the cares and worries fo the day are pushed back into proper perspective. The flurries within die down, and only the occasional sparks flie up, to be extinguished in their short flight like a meteor.

Once upon a time some friends and I learned from a venerable master how to make a fire from one spark.  We learned about fire starters, ferro rods, flint and steel, and the bow drill kit.

The bow drill took FOREVER to master -I still haven’t mastered it- but one of my friends got up early every morning and practiced it till she mastered getting that one spark “to burst into a might flame.” 

No matter how you started your fire, you need a tinder bundle and proper sized fuel. It takes a little bit of thought.

If you don’t take the time to collect your tinder and construct into the perfect little bundle, you’re going to agonize over getting your fire to grow.

Granted, somethings take and burst into flame, out of luck. But you can get a perfect fire if you take the time to submit to the process.

It is the same within.

Just as a good fire needs the choice of a good fire starter, what starts your spark of creativity or any good thing?

Just as gentle nest of tinder and your breath fans the spark to greater life, what conditions allow your spark of creativity to burst into something more alive – and not just bursting but STAYING alive, and ENDURING?

Just as a good fire needs to have a good pile of pencil lead-sized, pencil-sized, thumb-sized logs in addition to your big stuff to stay going strong, what fuels you for the long haul so that your project isn’t snuffed out?

Finally, how do you best make your sparks?

I’d love to hear what makes sparks for you, and what fuels them!

Here’s one of my sources for sparks and fuel. I hope it’s a source of light for you! (Puns everywhere today!)

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