Watching a fire burn in an outdoor fireplace on a brisk Saturday morning once again reminded me that a fire has a life of its own. It seems to have needs and wants. It needs fuel to burn. It needs oxygen to combine with the fuel. It needs heat to help make the fuel burn and prepare the fuel-in-waiting. And it seems to want to show-off with a self-sustaining chain reaction to keep it all going. Like most humans, it doesn’t want to quit, give up, or die out.

Over the years I’ve started many fires for many purposes and each time that I do I watch the process with keen interest. On occasion it’s been a link to warmth, food, and survival which is no time to fail!

As I gather the wood for the fire I make sure it’s the right size and dry. Initially it’s very small kindling; small splinters of wood actually, to ensure that it ignites and catches fire to produce that first burst of flame and heat. Gradually I increase the size, including length and girth of the wood. I’m probably a little over cautious at this point because I’ve had fires go out by adding big stuff too fast; though I likely blamed it on wet wood at the time.

I concentrate the fuel in a central geometry to focus the heat and to encourage the chain reaction. Eventually the heat from the leaping flames is replaced by the radiating heat of the coals. These coals present another intellectual fascination. Look at them. Watch them. Study them. They burn and glow red hot, producing heat. But here’s the interesting part: they don’t burn up; they’re not consumed. How is that possible? They seem to exist as little nuclear reactors. There’s a subtle pulsating quality as they burn and generate heat greater than their size would seem to allow. Am I looking at an earthly form of our solar sun? Is this what fusion would look like? And if the main fire should dwindle, these same coals can give new life to the fire process if fuel or oxygen is added; and the cycle repeats itself.

See the similarity in us?

My friend Giancarlo Ospina once told me “good food, good fuel” when describing how he prepares his body for strenuous outdoor activities. Do you have good fuel to begin with? What’s your starter fuel? What’s the oxygen that keeps you and your personal mission statement burning relentlessly, setting you apart from all others? What do your coals look like? Do they ignite new fires around you given the chance or when called upon?

-Bruce Hedgepeth MD

What’s your fuel? Leave a comment below with the things that ignite the fire within you and keep you motivated through different parts of your life. You can also join the conversation by posting a picture of the fuel that keeps you going to Instagram with the hashtags #whatsyourfuel , and tagging me @brucehedgepethmd .