Fire

Image of the Week
Hand-drawn art by Rupali Bhuva
Image of the Week
Fuego
- por Judy Brown

¿Qué hace que un fuego arda?
es el espacio entre los troncos,
un respiro.
Demasiado de algo bueno,
demasiados troncos
demasiado apretados
pueden apagar las llamas
casi tan seguro
como lo haría un balde de agua.
Entonces hacer fuegos
requiere poner atención
tanto en los espacios intermedios,
como en la madera.
Cuando seamos capaces de construir
espacios abiertos
del mismo modo
que hemos aprendido
a apilar los troncos,
entonces podemos llegar a ver cómo
es el combustible, y la ausencia de combustible
juntos, los que hacen posible el fuego
Solo tenemos que poner un tronco
suavemente de vez en cuando.
Un fuego
crece
simplemente porque el espacio está ahí,
con huecos
en los que la llama
que sabe cómo quiere arder
puede encontrar su camino.

Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la noción de que demasiado de algo bueno es contraproducente? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal de una época en la que te diste cuenta de la importancia de crear un espacio para encontrar el equilibrio? ¿Qué te ayuda a apreciar la importancia de la ausencia tanto como la de la presencia?

Judy Brown es educadora, oradora, facilitadora, poeta y escritora.
Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that too much of a good thing is counterproductive? Can you share a personal story of a time you realized the importance of creating space to find balance? What helps you appreciate the importance of absence as much as presence?

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Add Your Reflection

9 Past Reflections
TE
tesh
Feb 7, 2026
Wow, Thank you!
JO
Joey
Jan 8, 2025
So good
TR
Trishna
Sep 13, 2021
This reading was beautiful! It reminds me so much of my deepest intentions for serving my children as their mother. I have a lot of work to do to support them in this way, but I so grateful for this reflection today. I found myself remembering to focus on placing the logs with space in between to give their inner natural fire room to dance and flow. Stopping myself from overcrowding the space between their logs with my own views, wishes and directives so that their inner flames can learn to dance to the rhythms in their own hearts and minds. Slowing down, remembering we only need to place one log at a time to keep the fire burning.
JP
Sep 4, 2021
Balancing life in all areas of our life is the key to to living wisely. Too much or too littlecan't burn the fire of life. Too much foodot too little food intake has nam impact on our life energy. Hoe much we eat and what kind of food eat has a strong impact not only our physicaland mental health but also on the environmental well-being.Moderation in all areas of our life. Too much of even a good thing, like eating too much good food can create health problems. Being born and raised in a simple- living family laid the foundation for moderation mi my life. It has taughtme how to to create a balance in different areas of my life. My parents taught me when to talk , what to say,, how to talk and when to be quiet. These are the gifts of life that I have received from my parents and I am very grateful to them for such gifts. Being mindful of what is going in my mind, talking a pause, and decide what is the right thing to do. It's creating a balance between when to between presence... View full comment
JO
Jo Sep 10, 2021
"What to take in and what to reject", pops for me...
DD
Sep 3, 2021
It seems to me that too much is obviously counterproductive. Too much means more than the right amount, more than what is effective or productive. I'm still learning that less, such as less said and less done, is often enough. When I got into a physical exercise routine, I realized that creating space for rest between activities was important to enhance my physical fitness and not harm myself. What helps me appreciate the importance of absence as well as presence is learning that life involves yin and yang. For example, whole life is day-night, body-mind, alone-together, awake-asleep, self-other, wave-particle, absence-presence. Yin without yang, absence without presence, is incomplete and likely to collapse. Kahlil Gibran said we need spaces in our togetherness. Musicians have pointed out that music consists of the right notes and space between the notes.
PN
Peter N Stone Sep 10, 2021
Beautiful.
AJ
aj Sep 10, 2021
This is a wow! Spot on in both truth and wisdom! Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed!
ED
Elizabeth Dinner Mar 2, 2025
Wow! So insightful and well said!