Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Hot and Cold (04/09/09)
-
TITLE: RING OF FIRE | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kenneth Heath
04/10/09 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring,
Bound by wild desire, I fell into a ring of fire.
The taste of love is sweet, when hearts like ours meet.
I fell for you like a child, Oh, but the fire went wild.
I fell into a burning ring of fire; I went down, down, down,
And the flames went higher and it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.”
June Carter and Johnny Cash 1963.
With its blaring Mexican trumpets and its catchy lyrics, Ring of Fire is one of my favourite songs. Perhaps it is because my name means “Born of Fire” or because of my hot blooded temperament that I can relate to its words. Living in Africa I know the meaning of hot. Take yesterday for instance, it was hot. A hundred degrees hot with a berg wind driving the temperature even higher. Yet strangely enough, yesterday evening was so cold that I slept under a duvet. The Lord said that one of the signs of His return was strange weather patterns in the last days and we are seeing a lot of that lately.
However, in the midst of that unbearable heat my lovely wife of almost thirty years was cold. Then she became very hot, hotter than the heat of the day. In the very cold evening she became hot, throwing off the duvet leaving me shivering in the cold. On a hot evening she then becomes cold and sleeps with the duvet. I know that by now my female readers are starting to become agitated and are saying under their breath, “its change of life you silly man.” I know that. My wife is a cancer survivor of 11 years and because she cannot take hormone replacement therapy, the medication she has to take has given her “the change of life” for the past 11 years. Fortunately for me, she has always had a lovely disposition and has managed to control her reaction to this very uncomfortable and unpleasant condition. Obviously there are times when I have seen the volcano about to erupt and then for my own safety I have done what most men do in such situations.....I run and hide.
Seriously though, I really sympathise with the female gender. Having two adult daughters I have been through those “wonderful chemical teenage years” deciding at the time that it was better to run and hide, than to get involved. Adding to the complex hormonal issues, being a wife and a mother or career woman in a “man’s world” are challenges I just can’t imagine. So I take my hat off to you girls, you really are so special.
Being a guy has it’s quirks as well. As I am over fifty, I now fall into the category “Midlife-Crisis”, the warning signs according to a Readers Digest article being:
1. Job change - Who wants to do the same job forever?
2. Death-defying behaviour such as bungee-jumping - We would have done it sooner but now we have life insurance, so our wives let us have some fun.
3. Grooming changes such as highlighting our hair or changing our clothing style - The things we do to look good for you.
4. Flirting - In my “experience” it is the younger girls who try to flirt with us. Obviously they are more interested in our bank balances, or the sports car, than our pot bellied physique and wrinkly knees.
5. Exercise frenzy....Dream on.
6. Reverting to a 20 something behaviour - I have always been an eighteen year old trapped in an older body.
7. Guilty of outrageous purchases, such as a sports car or a Harley – It’s so sad that we can only afford these things so late in life.
8. Seeking out old loves, like learning to play the guitar again - Things I gave up so that I could spend more time with my family
9. Irresponsibility; becoming a free spirit and having a bit of fun - We only live once and after thirty odd years of being ultra responsible it can be therapeutic to let ones hair down.
10. Excessive reminiscing – They were the good old days.
Personally, I think the writer was just jealous of us men. We all have our hot and cold moments in life. That’s what makes love and life so special and why we were created different. Love is a ring of fire.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
I don't think however that you should have a fresh look at the value of exercise...
Loved this. I think Dave would identify on quite a few of your excellent points. Hats off for tackling such a sensitive issue with your wonderful humour. Love to Shas and girls,
Norms