Writing about Bonfires (Part 4)

I love bonfires.

Continuing from before, I will go ahead and talk about the pleasure, ways of enjoying, and personal style of bonfires, even if no one asked.

Since I have been writing about this so persistently, I think I will wrap it up here for now.

There is no doubt, however, that I will want to write about bonfires again sometime soon.

To me, a bonfire is
a waste and extravagance, a cleaning, a decluttering, a destruction, and a game.

As I have written repeatedly, for me, firewood is a precious fuel for my wood stove.

Therefore, what I burn in an outdoor bonfire is often a log that is difficult to split into firewood.

A log that splits into a fork,
a log with large knots,

these are things that sometimes cannot be split with an axe, even using a wedge.

So, for such stubborn logs, I give up on splitting them from the start and
think, 'I'll treat myself and burn this outside,' which makes me feel excited.

When burning a log that splits into a fork like a 'Y', what I like to do is build a small fire in the valley of that Y.

Using the log as a bonfire stand.
Using the log as a hearth.

That is the image.

To roast and burn a single large log from below, you would have to keep adding firewood underneath indefinitely.

Even a piece of burning firewood, if left alone in isolation, will eventually go out.

Something that is burning and something else that is burning,
the phenomenon of combustion is sustained by the mutual exchange of energy between those two things.

Firewood must not be isolated.

A large log that tends to be isolated, a solitary existence.
(A size that can only fit alone on a fire pit)

By building a fire in the V-shaped valley, you can properly find a partner inside a single log, and
through mutual reaction, the combustion will continue properly.

…I feel like this contains a suggestion that can also be applied to how people generate energy.

To sustain combustion,

a partner is important.
Mutual reaction (dialogue) is important.

To supply energy from the outside, you have no choice but to keep inputting. You must keep adding firewood.
If you do that, you will become exhausted and depleted.

Creating a dialogue within yourself.

Creating a mutual reaction of energy within yourself to sustain combustion.

Placing the spark within yourself.

It is also good to make cuts within yourself.

By making a cut in a single log,
the spark enters the inside, a dialogue is born, and combustion is sustained.

Dialogue must be equal.
If one piece of firewood is too large, or has too much heat,
and you end up being talked down, the dialogue will not continue.
Combustion will not be sustained.
You will not be able to keep generating energy.

…And here, we return to the basics.

What is essential for combustion is [Oxygen]

Deep breathing is necessary.

Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply.

You must not rush and let your breathing become shallow.

Calm down and take a deep breath.

A deep breath to heal yourself.

With this, you breathe into the spark within you and generate the energy for internal dialogue.

Hmm.

Did I stray too far from the topic of bonfires?

But being able to think about all sorts of things like this is also the magic of fire. It is the charm of a bonfire.