the world is vast.

"the world is vast, and wide open"

i don't know why i'm thinking of it just now.  maybe because my mom and dad are in dubai.  we can go so far.  far from everything we know, covering immense spaces of not emptiness, but fullness, completely unwitnessed by human beings.  the old saying "if a tree falls in the forest..."  of course it exists!!!  i think that god is watching it, reveling in these experiments called land and sea.  there was a time when i thought all of this staggering splendor was just a chance happening, the ripples in the water just occurred that way, and there is no meaning behind it.  that world was grim.  in my best moments i conceive that there is more to this show than meets the eye, and probably more than i can ever fathom.  some people will say "you believe what makes you happy" and maybe that's true.  but i prefer living in a bright world, deep and enchanted.  [this is the north pacific ocean, off alaska]. 

fires to kindle

if you want to build a fire in the snow, start by finding a water barrier such as tarp.  otherwise, the heat will melt the snow and you will soon be in a puddle of water.

there are many good ways to arrange the fuel.  i prefer the cabin method for larger pieces, then paper or wood shavings inside.  the idea is to get the fuel up off the ground, and leave room for air to filter in between the branches.

in books, people describe ways to start fires with just sticks, or sticks and rocks, or bits of flint.  until i figure that out, i'll just keep a 50 gram lighter with me all the time.

like a fire, the body needs fuel, and like the body, the mind does too.

one of my close friends from virginia, randall chan, told me this, and i'll never forget it:

"the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled!"