A Candle

This came to me the other day. We are a lot like a candle. Allow me to explain. A candle is made up of different sorts of materials that when heated up turns into a melting goo. Take that goo, place it in some forms of different designs, add a wick, it hardens, and voila you have a candle. Then you light the candle and bring it to life and that light shines up even the darkest of places. It flickers and dances and creates that which we need to see, light. But as it burns it begins to melt, slowly dripping off the discarded embodiment of itself due to being consumed. It gets smaller and smaller until there is just a nub of candle left and what is left is a hardened glob of wax residue. Hopefully we have used this little bit of candle left to light another before it is extinguished, and the light finally flickers out and is gone. Sounds a little bit like life, doesn’t it?

We start out as a goo of every known element in the universe, we’re put into the furnace, and formed into what we are to become. Every life has these metamorphoses if you will. And every life slowly melts away back into the array of all it’s made up of. That’s the cycle. Nature doing what nature does. It’s difficult for me sometimes to melt, I must say, and I seem to be melting faster and faster the more I age. My candle burned so new at first, shining out into the world. It lit up the space around me bright and vibrant. I could explore almost carelessly, not worrying about what stumbling block could be hiding in the shadows. I was strong and spirited. I never thought or dreamed my candle would burn out. Then as I melted slowly through the years, although my wisdom and knowledge grew, my candle was diminishing. I suppose that’s the tradeoff. I realized that all candles have a starting point and an ending point. But candles are more than just light, they are life. And how we use that life is utterly important.

I give you this message now, as my candle is dripping down upon itself, melting away to whence it began. Don’t take your light for granted. Your wick can easily be blown out even before you get the chance to light your way. Protect it, honor it, know it’s real purpose and where it wants to lead you. Be aware that your candle will not burn forever and take in all your surroundings that you can. Experience in harmony with your light what needs to be illuminated for your life and what path you should be following. The life of a candle is short lived, so I implore you to listen. Be aware, be alive, don’t be a walking dead that follows the path to nothingness. Let your candlelight be a guide to a fulfilled journey. A journey of magnificent value and worth. How dark would the world be without your light in it. Take your light and shine bright so that you can find your way and that others may be able to follow. How you choose to use your light is entirely up to you. My adventure isn’t quite over, I’m still burning, I’m curious what’s just around the next corner. How about you?