When I worked for a summer camp we would regularly start fires. Campfires mostly. We'd sit around and cook hobos and s'mores and tell stories late into the night. It's when some of the most magical conversations happened. Something about the combination of darkness and warmth. And gooey sugar.

But one summer we weren't allowed to build fires. Apparently, even once the fire is put out on the surface it can smolder for months underground, burning through the tree roots and spreading for miles. The fire can actually pop back above the surface miles away from where it first started. 

Fires we thought were extinguished were actually slowly burning just underground.

In a forest, that's a pretty dangerous thing. But in my life, it's like campfire magic. It explains the heat under my skin.

I think you feel it too. The passion that you buried away, but still it won't stop burning. The dream that seemed too big, but keeps hijacking your imagination. The longing for something bigger, the belief that you were made for something more. The desire to live life to the fullest and consume everything it has to offer and burn bright and hot and alive. Just because you can't see the fire right now doesn't mean it's not slowly burning still.

Starting fires since 1980.

I have a mentor that tells me I like to start fires. Actually, he used to give me crises to manage because he was afraid of what fires I would start if I got bored. Like any good Enneagram 8 I like to instigate and provoke and challenge.

Which can create some drama in my personal life, but makes me an ideal candidate to light a fire in yours.

Actually, I don't think you need me to light a fire. I think sometimes we just need someone to fuel the one that's already there. 

Fuel for your fire.

That fire hasn't gone out. There's no expiration date on your dreams and your passion can't be all used up. This season of waiting or pause or wilderness or rest isn't forever and there are flames still waiting to break through. A set back doesn't equal failure and likes on Instagram don't equal success. You have something to offer this world and we need your fire to burn big.

That's the goal of this little blog here. To fuel fires we've forgotten are even there. I can't promise s'mores, but I can guarantee there will be storytelling and legends and honest conversation in the dark. We all need a good pep talk and sometimes even a kick-in-the-pants from time to time. If you'd like to make sure you don't miss out, sign up to get emails when I post!