Why the Bonfire?

Think of a bonfire... what kind of thoughts come to your mind?

I'll tell you what comes to my mind... warmth, friendship and s'mores (mmmm...). That smell that sticks to your hair and clothes after a long night at the bonfire is intoxicating and for me and brings back all kinds of feel good memories.

As a child, I camped a lot and bonfires were part of that special event. It meant that both my parents took time off of work, loaded the car up and took my sister and I to the beach to camp. Growing up in Hawaii, camping looked different than what many of my mainland friends experienced. I got crashing waves, late night fishing and sand EVERYWHERE while they got potential bears (that may be a slight exaggeration, haha!). We cooked over the fire, we made s'mores and stayed up late underneath the stars. I can't wait to create those kinds of memories with my boys.

As an adult, bonfires meant celebrations. The start of summer, a birthday, the end of finals or even just to celebrate friendship and being alive. This usually included copious amounts of some kind of alcohol and feet covered in charcoal. Friendships were made, relationships were made and broken, friends turned into best friends and I had some of the best nights of my life around a bonfire.

Bonfires are where humans for centuries have gathered to tell stories. It's what makes us human and what gave us an edge over other species. What are we without fire? What kind of stories would we not have known had we not discovered the power of fire? The bonfire is where ancient ceremonies took place. It's where we danced all night long. It's a place of tradition, of passing down our ancestor's knowledge. It was a sacred place but also a place of community. And while I think that the real bonfire is always better, creating space in our hearts for a digital bonfire helps us to continue the tradition of bonfires shared by ancients all over the world.

So feel free to whip up some s'mores in your home while listening to the podcast. We invite you to always join in the conversation, be a part of this beautiful community and share the good times with us. I just use my imagination now for that bonfire smell I love so much :)