John Patrick Shanley wrote:
“We all go through the fire, and over time,
it burns away the good or the bad.
The choice is ours.”
I don’t really need to say more. He’s right, we have a choice of what we keep of the experiences we’ve had.
Along another line of thought, when you look back over the fire of your life, has it burned to illuminate and warm, or has your fire raged to destroy?
For most people it’s a mixture of both.
The ratio is the indicator of what kind of person you have been in the past… which should always be thought of as a place of learning.
If your fire has been used to help, it may now be tended by grateful companions. You can expect them at fireside chats.
If your fire has raged to savage, it’s never too late to throw a grill over it and cook up something better. Even burned bridges can often be repaired over time. If you choose not to rebuild, you can still stoke your fire, smelt some steel and build a new one.
Keep your good experiences handy, and keep your helpful fire burning.
D.N. Howard 