Smack Dab in the Middle

In December, the Golden Hour is candlelight.  If you had to do more than flick a switch to create light, would this change you? Flicking a switch makes a sound. Often, I barely pause as I do that. I hear a sound, certainly, just as I hear the hiss of a match being struck. In both cases, I use my fingers. But after flicking the switch, I walk on. But after lighting a match, more must happen before there is light. While I hold the match in my fingers, my arm and body lean toward a candle wick. I watch while the flame is transferred, taking care it doesn’t burn too fast down the shaft and burn my fingers. Then, the candle lit, the golden light glowing, I step back. This process of creating light involves my entire body and focus. It would be even more complicated and embodied if I were lighting a fire outside—sensing the wind direction on my skin. And what about the reverse—flicking a light switch off verses blowing out a candle? Here comes the body again—this time inhaling, bending t...