There is no such thing as an artist: there is only the world lit or unlit as the light allows. When the candle is burning, who looks at the wick? When the candle is out, who needs it?
~Annie Dillard
On the first day of the A to Z Challenge, this quote showed up in my blog reader list, thanks to Jessica Morrell on her The Writing Life Too blog. I don't remember seeing that quote before but I knew I had to use it. I had to share it. And then I realized that I had to include it in this month's posts. I'd already posted my "A" word so I thought I might go with "D" for Dillard. But that didn't work for me, so I read it again and again and settled on "C."
So there it is.
Here it is.
C is for Candle. At this moment I'm stumped for what more to say because "who looks at the wick" and "when the candle is out, who needs it" are so clear nothing more is needed.
The idea of Candle being the source of "the world lit or unlit as the light allows" delights me.
I love candles. I like the soft light they put out, combined with the warmth and the pulsing glow. I don't use them much because, like so many other people, my life is busy and I rarely have time to sit and ponder the flame heating air, heating wax, light seeping into the surrounding room and let it wash over me in quiet contemplation. With all the hurrying I know I'd only blow it out in my wake or I'm afraid I'd get caught up in emails and phone calls and editing the story, texting a student, calling my partner, feeding the cat, exercising, doing laundry, getting ready for work, and - I'm afraid maybe I will leave the flame too long and that might not be a good thing.
To busy to sit in the comfy chair or on the couch or to soak in a cleansing bath with Candles.
But this quote. The candles. The flames. The world lit or unlit. Knowing that what's important isn't the wick.
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