Here in the Pacific Northwest it is fall and winter is just around the corner. Every fall, I look forward to my burn pile. Sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? But here’s the deal … it’s one of the few times during the year that I work around the yard in which it does not involve a new project that has to be completed, it is simply cleaning up.
I can tell you are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to read what comes next. Not only do I start the burn pile on fire, but I get out the weed blower too. Exhilarating!
OK, here is why I look forward to this time. In spring there is new growth everywhere and we enjoy that new growth all summer. Then in the fall the leaves start falling and the sun turns to rain and you get that feeling that something is coming to an end. Still unclear on my desire for lighting things on fire?
In reality, there is not anything coming to an end, it is just a change in seasons. We live our lives one season to the next and each brings its own set of challenges. We deal with them and move on to the next. There will only be one “end” and well, that discussion is for another day.
When I clean up the leaves and feed the fire, I get the opportunity to think. Life is so busy for all of us, we rarely get the chance to think without distraction. I could use all kinds or metaphors describing a burn pile … the smoke, the flames, the ashes, but at the end of the day we have simply taken all the dead stuff and eliminated it from our world.
The evidence of change is all around me and I like to take this time to think about what I might want to change. Here are some of the things I think about:
MY FAMILY
My wife and boys are the family are most important to me and sometimes I don’t give them the attention they deserve. I think I will change that.
MY FRIENDS
My friends are really important to me also but I don’t stay in touch with many of them that I would like to. I haven’t spoken to some of my best friends growing up in years. I think I will change that too.
MY FAITH
I don’t know what you believe in but I know what I believe in and although my faith is strong in the knowledge that God will always take care of me and be there when I need Him, I don’t always act in ways that I would if he were standing there next to me (even though He is). I definitely will change that.
MY THOUGHTS
Sometime I have good thoughts. Problem is that I don’t make enough time to think. Good things happen when you think. You get clarity. You realize the things you need to be intentional about. And you realize how much the people around you really matter.
I look forward to burn piles because they allow me to think. I don’t know what your burn pile is, but do yourself a favor and start a fire somewhere and take the time to think.
We are all looking for the answer to living a full and meaningful life. Maybe you just haven’t made the time to ask the right questions.
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 11/16/12 Photo by author
