A bonfire, a friendship and a paradox. Three unrelated entities that came together. This is a story of how.
Completely different yet somehow bizarrely functional, such was our connection.
This is how I met The Boy Who Loves Bonfires.
Click.Tap.Click.Tap.Click.Tap.
I had come up with a rhythm to which I bobbed my head, sitting impatiently. It was yet another day in a class I wasn’t very fond of. Don’t get me wrong, I was great at the subject.The class, however,was a borefest.
There is always that one class where no one pays attention. Everyone is either dozing off or daydreaming. The latter is more my thing.
The seat next to me was unoccupied…until, it just wasn’t. My daydream came crashing down when I heard the sound of metal screeching as
the seat next to me was pulled backward.
Within seconds, a complete stranger who I had occasionally seen in the hallways, sat next to me.
That is probably the most boring and cliched starting to what became one the most beautiful friendships of my life.
While I admit that the beginning was awkward and rocky, a few months later we were inseparable.
“The Boy Who Loves Bonfires,” such was his epithet.
Bonfires? I mean what’s so out of the blue about bonfires?
Fire. An element of life, a symbol of damnation, a source of energy, the hallmark for death. A purifier and a destroyer.
A paradox.
In the last sacrament of life in many cultures, corpses are burnt. Day after day, countless people die, yet the living wish to live forever.
The bodies of the dead are burned as they depart on a journey to whatever lies in the afterlife. Smoke stacks choke the skies.
The holy element of fire is hence linked to the end of a loved one’s journey amongst the living.
Fire, then becomes eerie and sinister to many people.
While my friend envisaged a starry night, sitting across a bonfire, with blankets and marshmallows.
The heat from the fire soothing the frigid air and the shivering toes. Consuming, devouring, annihilating the wood in order to stay alive.
Orange flames cackling while they dance, throwing vivid shadows and shapes under the dark of the night.
Its reflections in the eyes of the people gathered around, whispering secrets as its warmth caresses each soul.
Burning with the valiant desire to breathe. It reminded him of the beauty of being alive, each day.
“We can complain that rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice that thorns have roses,” while I had heard this many times, The Boy Who Loves Bonfires brought it to life and made me live it.
The Boy Who Loves Bonfires taught me a way of life.
I like to think of fire as the calm before a storm. Sometimes, the storm strikes and there is death, devastation, and loss to deal with. Sometimes, the storm passes over. It doesn’t strike. On those days, there is relief, warmth, calm and joy that the fire itself spreads.
I wonder sometimes, does fire know of its power? To create and destroy. Or does it remain an oblivious paradoxical element.
A paradox contradicts itself. It has various faces to it. The one we choose to focus on arbitrates much of our lives.
This I learned from him.
Who would have thought that a friendship that began in the dullest possible way would spark a fire. Dazzling and alive.
60 replies on “Mindless Musings #3”
Outstanding 👏👏👏👏
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Hey, thank you for taking the time to read! I am so glad you thought so. Have a happy and blessed day. 🌼
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Amazing! The boy who loved bonfire! Greatest friendships have a awkward start!!❤❤
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Hi Nawazish, thank you for taking the time to read. Haha yes, they do. At least for us. I am so glad you enjoyed reading this! Have a happy day. 🌹
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Amazing post Rishika. Every great friendship have a rocky start.
Loved this one.
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Hi, thank you for taking the time to read. Haha, it was really awkward for us at first. We were and still are very different people. I am so glad you enjoyed this post! Have a blessed day. 🌺
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Being friends with people who are different from us have its own perks. They come with different view and approach in our life.
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Word to the wise! Makes us look at things from a new perspective. It’s surprising, sometimes.
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Exactly. Its good you have such friend in life.
Have a great weekend.
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Powerful writing, great work
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Hey Shruti, thank you for taking the time to read. I am so glad you thought so! I really appreciate your kind and supportive words. Have a happy day. 🌺
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Lots of wisdom in here! Thanks to the boy who kindled the fire in you and in all of us through your writings! 🙂
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Hi, thank you for taking the time to read! Haha, I’ll convey that to him. He’ll be really happy. I am so glad you enjoyed this piece. I hope I was able to convey my sentiments well. Have a happy day. 🌼
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Really loved how you have portrayed the dilemma thay goes inside a head. It isn’t easy to just let someone new enter our lives because the results are unknown to us. Sometimes it is wonderful, the other maybe life lessons. But each time we let someone inside, I believe we learn a part of ourselves we never knew we could have in us. Very well written.
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Hi Harsh, thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you are well. True words! The unknown scares a lot of us, including me. Yes, every new connection brings something new for us. Most of the times, we are unprepared for it. I guess the beauty of the whole thing is that we are completely clueless most of the time. Most such things have hit me like a truck lol. I am so glad you enjoyed this. Have a blessed day. 🌺
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Haha, I can understand Rishika, been through situations like these for majority of my life. Haha. Hope you are well too. Sleep well. 😇
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Nice to meet a kindred spirit lol! You too.
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The pleasure is mutual. 😇.
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Awesome!!
Sitting at a bonfire or rather, beautiful campfire feels good to my soul. It either really brings me home here, or carries me far away. I’m not sure which.
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Hey Dawn, thank you for taking the time to read! Oh yes, that’s a night well spent! Yeah, the whole ambience does that. A journey and learnings for the soul. I think its both, maybe. An adventure! I am so glad you enjoyed it. Have a blessed and happy day! 🌹
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Hey Rishika, I have nominated you for Sunshine Blogger Award. Please visit my Blog.
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Hi Tuleshwari, thank you so much! That is so kind of you! I’ll do that asap. Congratulations on the award! ❤️
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Such an interesting way to look at fire! Liked reading this ☺🤩
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Hey Shruba, thank you for taking the time to read. I am so glad you enjoyed reading this! I really appreciate your kind words, they made me so happy. Have a great day. 🌼
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Weaving the motif and many perspectives of fire made for interesting connections in your post.
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Hi Michele, thank you for taking the time to read. I am so glad you thought so! I really appreciate you leaving your positive feedback here, it made me smile! So thank you for that, too. Have a happy and blessed day. 🌹
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My pleasure. Thank you and you do the same. 😊
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Captivating. Loved it. ❤
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Hey Smita, thank you for taking the time to read! I am so so glad you enjoyed reading this. Your kind and supportive words made me so happy! Have a happy and blessed day. 🌺
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
WELL-DONE!
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Hey Jonathan, thank you so much! Have a happy day and stay safe. 🌹
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WILL DO—YOU TOO? :0)
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Absolutely love the opening! I love the inclusion and connection of fire with friendship.
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Hey Jaya, thank you for taking the time to read. I am so glad you like it. Haha, it’s a life lesson I learned and I decided to write it down. I really appreciate your kind words. Have a great day. 🌹
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So beautiful ❤️
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Hi Yasin, thank you for taking the time to read. So glad you thought so! Have a great day. 🌺
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Hii rishika i’ve nominated you for sunshine blogger award. Check it out when you are free. Thank you
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Hey, sure I’ll do that! Thank you so much for the nomination.
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You’re most welcome dear friend 😊
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Sodium…. The orange majority salt color of fires.
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Hey, thank you for taking the time to read. I thought sodium produces a yellow flame in the flame test? Guess I was wrong! I really appreciate you leaving a comment here. Have a great day! 🌼
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It’s streetlight orange… But remember concentration will effect color we perceive…no not a dash more suddenly it’s a purple silliness. However, yellow dye is a sorta red in high concentration…. Hence red pepper isn’t a red but a “yellow”. A lot of things are like that…not quite as they seem different when they aren’t. Don’t mistake me well read here, the idea interests me but I’m not a college grad here.
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I am not a college grad either, not yet at least! I just finished high school. College has nothing to do with knowledge, mostly, or so I believe. Thank you for this insight! I could never have guessed. It’s really fascinating how it could change colours so quickly! Purple, and orange and yellow. Wow. True words. Sometimes the reality is quite different from our perception.
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We might have just had a little jumbling up of what ya read of what I meant ;). It is okay as yo take away the key point. Reality is often different than it can be perceived. (Fires red, oranges yellows and whites are often the sodium and overall energy expelled…. No no purples! However! If one wantsore orange using a PURPLE filter would be how that’s achieved. (Inverse or opposite s in colors. Hence an orange vegetable makes a purple dye of our eyes to see better at night…. Weird stuff science. Or how peppers red is really a yellow pigment. Sorry to confuse.
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Okay, I get you now! We should probably call red peppers yellow peppers then? Would be more accurate, haha. Sodium metal might become my favourite, I guess. I love the orange and the yellow colour it emits. Whoever knew colours would get so complicated, too. lol. Purple filter for orange and purple dye to view it at night. Wow. No confusion at all now! I love learning new things. Thank you!
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;). Luciferase. A light emitting biologic system. Or wordplay … How sweet… Is light? (Sugar digested into light emission sugar/sweet).
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It’s really fascinating how fireflies use luciferase to glow. Funny name, though. Luciferase, haha.
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Lucifer or Satan in religion’s mythos… Angel of light 🙂 despite having… fallen…. Lucifer-ase.
Or yep funny funny name science chose.
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Great post.
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Hey, thank you for taking the time to read. So glad you enjoyed it. I really appreciate your kind words! Have a happy day. 🌼
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The Boy Who Loves Bonfires seems interesting.
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Heyy, thank you for taking the time to read. Yes, he indeed is! He’s going to be really excited when I tell him this, haha. Have a happy day. 🌼
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You too.
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Rishika, This is a really beautiful story! When you approach new people and new experiences with an open mind, life opens up for you. I hope the pandemic is not interfering with your college plans. I wish you the best! Cheryl ❤
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Hi Cheryl, thank you for taking the time to read. Ahh, I am glad you enjoyed this. Yes, indeed! Word to the wise. Oh, I think it’s taking a toll on the college plans of the entire batch of 2020 worldwide. So we’ll just have to wait it out! Thank you, again. Have a blessed day. 🌺
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Wonderful piece….reminded me of twilight ..when Edward met Bella..
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Hey Piyush, thank you for taking the time to read! I am so glad you enjoyed it. I read twilight a very long time ago so I don’t remember most of it but I really appreciate your kind words! Have a happy day. 🌼
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You have penned down everything so we’ll!!
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Hey Rejoy, aww that’s so kind of you! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I am so pleased by your support and encouragement. Have a lovely day. 🌺
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You’re always welcome.
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