From The Storyteller
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Dec. 2, 2019 Wood
Hello All: The best reasons for doing some things are really not seen until you look more closely. It happened to me once again. Enjoy. Doug. Elaine, “I think we need to buy some more wood. I forgot how nice it is to sit and watch a fire.” I’m thinking, “Home run, Doug”. A really nice wood burning stove came with the house 2+ years ago. We never used it and until the California power outages we didn’t think about needing it (our house is total electric). Time to have the stove inspected and buy some wood (just in case). Inspection passed, three small bundles of wood purchased, and BANG - a cold front arrives. We fire it up (literally) and enjoyed the show. Note: It was at this point I realized how fast some wood burns. Time to get prices for a “cord” of slow burning wood, and that is when I took a deep breath. So maybe it wasn’t a home run, but it at least it’s a double. Yes, good fire wood is expensive, and needing heat “IF” there is a power outage is a convenient justification, so “why not.” Besides, occasionally doing something extravagant is okay. As I thought about it, I changed my mind. This was not about an “occasional extravagance”, but rather about something far more important. It was about investing in growing the relationship I have with my beautiful bride. I bought the wood because sitting next to her and talking quietly about our day, as we watched the fire slowly burn down, brought us closer together. I never thought buying firewood would be an investment in our relationship, but it was. Which leads me to the conclusion that the single most important investment I can make in this life is in growing my relationships with others - and that includes both my time and money. Moral: Sometimes we find important things in the most unexpected places. |