Fun with matches

You know you have entered a zone of some sort when you realize that you've been staring at a candle for 20 minutes. Here is something I like to do sometimes, usually when there is absolutely no one around, and it is almost silent, so that the only thing that I can hear is my breath.

Materials Used:

A candle
A wall with glossy paint(the glossier the better), of whatever color fits your mood.

Light the candle, and set it on the floor in front of your wall. Sit down in a comfortable position with your back straight. You want to have your body positioned so that your line of sight is dividing the illuminated area in half. In other words, sit down right smack in front of the wall(but don't burn yourself). Now, look at the flame. No, it won't hurt you. You may see an afterimage for a couple minutes afterwards, but this just means that the photoreceptors in that part of your retina are fatigued. They just need to rest for a sec and they will be OK, I promise. Unless you botch lighting the candle or putting out the candle, you will not be injured. That being said, if, by some horrifying act of God, you are under the age of 13(or forbidden by law not to play with fire), please ask for a responsible adult's permission(and preferably supervision) before you go starting fires all over the place. no one will read my blog is not responsible for any damages to property or individuals, ever.

Close your eyes and take a few deep, slow breaths through your nostrils. If you have allergies and/or have trouble breathing through your nose, try starting off by breathing in very gently, and gradually increasing the force as you inhale. That works for me, anyway. With each inhalation, realize that you are breathing in fuel, and with each exhalation, you are breathing out the waste. Try to make each breath as long as possible, but without making you feel like you are depriving yourself of oxygen. The idea is to get your breath into a comfortable, relaxing rhythm. The best way to do that is to pretend that your lungs are like a bucket. Let the air enter the bottom of your lungs first, and then it will fill up like a balloon. The exhalation should be like a balloon slowly deflating. You want the exhalation to last about as long as the inhalation. After a few more breaths the timing will come a little more naturally. Feeling sleepy? Good. You can open your eyes now, but keep the deep breathing thing. Your head may have slumped a bit, so slowly lift it back up so that your back is straight. Oooooh...pretty fire. Now, what if you had the ability to control that flame with your breath? Try to breath so smoothly that the flame becomes still. You want to be one with flame. It is a visual representation of your breath. Just keep breathing.

If you can keep your attention on nothing but your breath, while simultaneouly watching the flame, you are on the right track. If your attention wanders, gently guide it back to the breath. If you get bored with it, give it up, and pat yourself on the back. You probably feel pretty damned good, or at least better than you did before you sat down. If you keep at it, you may reach a meditative state. You might have already, for that matter.

Anyways, I doubt anyone will ever try it, but I don't care. It works wonders for me, I did it about an hour and a half ago, and I still feel charged up. I just got a call from the girl that I alluded to in the past couple of posts. I feel stupid for ever getting upset about Friday nights events, as it all amounted to nothing in the end. So...I'm about to go out in a minute here, and I don't intend to come home tonight =).