The Fire Within: This post relates to a poem of mine I recently discovered (see Poetics, below). It was sitting, alone, on a table.
That poem is from a stack of about 250 poems I have been reading through for inclusion in my next poetry book. I have since dropped off said stack to a friend for objective reading. I thought The Fire Within poem was in that stack. Obviously not! It had other designs.
Quite possibly its mission was to suggest a topic to write about in this issue of the starter. Who am I to say “no” to a signal?
Onward!
The fire within can refer to that certain “spark” we discover when we think all else is lost. It is that solitary ember that lies in wait for its owner to want to move forward toward a better life, a different way of doing things.
There have been tales of many people who have felt like they are coming to the end of their rope, only to discover that all is not lost; there was a way forward. They have felt the fire within which has served to move many toward a better life, a life of meaning, a life of purpose.
But this force is not evergreen, it can be extinguished by negative forces such as negative self-talk, toxic relationships or lack of purpose.
Sometimes, in order to rise above a negative situation, it might take more than external impulses to move us forward. We may need to dig a little deeper into our “self” to find the way out.
One of the keys is to realize which of those challenges can be minimized to a degree that could enable them to be broken down to such a level that can be understood and analyzed. It make take some reflection or dialog with a close friend or research.
It may take time. It could take a bit of effort. By tackling each challenge one-at-a-time and working to limit those challenges in the future you could be on the way to some type of break-through.
I do know that there are many times I have to search for my own fire within to ignite that flame that seems to be all but extinguished. I have to stir the embers. In stirring those embers with my thoughts and my reflections I can utilize past experiences and successes to overcome almost any negative situation.
*******
Please pass this along to others of like mind. We do need to spread the positivity around! Know that I will be working hard to make the starter better with each issue. It will come into your inbox at 8am, each Monday morning, free or paid. Comments are always welcomed! Enjoy!
“You don’t need anyone else’s permission to be happy, to pursue your passions, express yourself more, or to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. The only permission you need is your own.” Mel Robbins
All it takes is 10 mindful minutes: When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)
Mary Oliver on What Attention Really Means : Though you have known someone for more than forty years, though you have worked with them and lived with them, you do not know everything. I do not know everything — but a few things, which I will tell. M. had will and wit and probably too much empathy for others; she was quick in speech and she did not suffer fools. ©Mary Oliver
Shadow & Light Magazine Archives: Erica Masterson, Between Worlds: Beyond the Visible— “When I was just 8 years old, my mother took me to England, where we discovered whimsical flower fairy cards in a little shop in Surrey. The artist was Cicely Mary Barker, the illustrator who created the famous Flower Fairies in the shape of ethereal smiling children with butterfly wings.” ©Erica Masterson, Winged Dreamer
Poetics: Tim Anderson, The Fire Within: I have been assembling poems for my next book. In that process, sometimes a single sheet of poetry will find itself detached from the stack of almost 250 poems waiting to be read by me for inclusion in the book. Today, this poem sat alone on a table, no other poems around. Was it a signal? Was it asking permission? Sometimes, I don’t question the why, but accept the “it just is.”
The Fire Within
The older I get
and the further I am removed
from a childhood of confusion
the less I remember
I never had a box of dreams
to hold close to my heart
or a book of matches
to ignite the fire within
Too many dark nights of the soul
led the way to too many attempts
to right the ship and set sail
on a path of no return, no regrets
I long for the promise of tomorrow
without the anticipation of loss
without the anticipation of regret
without the anticipation…
©Tim Anderson
the starter is a reader-supported publication. To produce this newsletter it takes a bit of time, research and effort to create. If you would like to receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Self doubt is always lurking around the corner, just waiting to derail one's initiative. I think that's where your ten-minute breather can come in handy. It can either get you back on track or lead to your simply "being." I take those ten minutes on the back porch, where I watch birds come and go at the feeders and just relax into the moment. Refreshed!
Very compelling, Tim. We all have moments where we doubt our path forward. It's the spark that moves us forward. Thankfully the spark always arrives.