Reverence IS a CRITICAL Component of Success

Good Morning!

Last Sunday evening we built a fire in our "chiminea."

It was a cool night for Florida and a perfect opportunity to simply sit on the patio...take in the aroma of the fire and feel the warmth...When we can't go camping...for me it is the best next thing!

That simple fire with 4 pieces of wood took be back to another moment that affected my thinking and the way I look at life and nature...

I felt moved to share this with you...

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Setting the Stage

Whenever I had the opportunity, I would stop and visit a my friends that lived on a local Native American Reservation...

My presence was frequent enough that I did not seem or "feel out of place."

I felt welcomed...and...as I reflect on it...should have felt honored!

Enough of the background...

I was often invited to spend the evening and sit with them around a central fire...which by the way was a regular evening event reserved for the "inner circle."

I was told ahead of time to "keep my mouth shut" and take in the experience...

Which, believe it or not, I did!

I did not know what to expect...but it immediately became evident that everyone sat quietly around the fire...few things were said...and most often quietly and between two sitting next to each other with a short phrase and a nod confirming what was said...

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The Fire, the Tree's Spirit  and its Warmth

As I quietly looked into last Sunday's fire I was taken back to that time and place...

It was much more quiet...

No traffic noise...no sirens...

No airliners flying overhead...

The hush of the evening was only interrupted by the intermittent crackles of the fire, the crickets, and an occasional owl "hoot" or nighthawk "buzz"...

On this particular evening I was one of the first to take a place around the fire..the oldest of the circle arrived sometime later and sat next to me...

He was an interesting person...from what I observed, he thought a lot...listened nearly as much and talked very little!  He was VERY different from the others that sat around the fire...

As the fire grew...the regular hush came over the circle and we sat and gazed into it...transfixed by the dancing flames...

After some time...he turned to me and in a voice just slightly above a whisper said...

(Note:  These are not his exact words...but how I remember them)

"The flames that you are watching is the spirit of the tree from which the wood has come...This tree has a strong spirit...it has for many years withstood wind and cold.  It was from its life...standing against the wind and cold and rain that it grew strong and held its place..."

"It did not get this spirit all at once...

"The tree's spirit grew over a long period of time...and the heat that you feel is that which it has kept given to it by he sun and the sky and the water and the earth..."

"The heat that you feel comes from everything that it lived through and now it shares that strong spirit with us..."

"You feel the heat from the flames...and may think that it lasts for only as long as the fire burns...that is not true...the tree's spirit it taken in by you and becomes a part of you..."

"We are quiet because we look on fires with reverence...for it is nature and this tree sharing its spirit with us..."

"We are quiet because we are listening and taking in as much of this spirit as we can..."

"...because the fire does not last for but an evening...and then this particular spirit is gone..."

"...we have but one chance to share that spirit...you should not ever miss a chance to share the spirit..."

"AND this my friend is also true with the warmth that we share with each other...during this time...we do so with reverence..."

"Unlike people like you...we build a small fire, sit closely and share each others' warmth..."

"You build BIG fires and sit far apart..."

"So often you keep the heat for yourself and do not do what nature longs for you to do!"

"I go so that you may share the warmth..."

I nodded without saying a word...as I had observed others did...and he stood up and left...

"I was a bit confused...turned to my friend and asked..."Does he think that he was keeping the heat from the fire from us?"

My friend smiled and explained," You totally missed the lesson!  He is the Elder.  He sat next to you this evening because he had something important to say to you...and he did!  You probably missed the fact that because of who is is...his presence keeps us quiet...

He said that he was leaving so that we could share the warmth...he did not say...the warmth of the fire...Did he?

He left so that we can talk and share...OUR WARMTH.  The warmth is not the heat from the fire...but the heat from each of our spirits..."

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Reverence and Success

I could NEVER look into a fire the same!

Whether in our "chiminea" or at a camp...or a bonfire...or even a charcoal grill...I still quiet my spirit and listen...

From that time to today...I look with reverence into the flames and absorb the spirit...

Those simple phrases, from a wise man, changed the way that I perceived the world around me...

Sharing the warmth of the flames that arise from the past experiences of the tree is special...

I think about what the tree went through to accumulate such heat...

My mind then moves to the understanding that we are not unlike the tree...

Our experience feeds our spirit...

Our good experiences and our bad experiences strengthens our spirit...

We grow strong...

And like the tree...our experiences serve no purpose if we simply keep them to ourselves, sit far apart and do not share "the warmth!"

Moreover...if we do not share...we are simply "left to rot" and our spirit is wasted!

It is important to sit closely and share the warmth of the fire within us...

It is important for us to share and learn from each other and continue to do so for future generations...

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Sharing and Success

The warmth that we share...is not a temporal event...AND as it is with the warmth of the campfire...it becomes part of us!

We need to take time out of the day...and share our warmth...with others...

It is a time of reverence and listening...and more important...Thinking and applying the warmth to your life...

As was shared with me long ago...build a small fire...sit closely and share the warmth of the spirit...

It is critical to your success...

Pura Vida...