What’s That Sizzling Noise?

The woodstove was still warm, but the fire had fizzled.  Intending to add paper and kindling, I reached in to grab the unburned chunk of wood – which of course on the underside was all glowing coals.  Heard the sizzle, did that millisecond confused look, then yanked my hand out.  Got off pretty light, really, a minor burn to the pad of the thumb.  But honestly sometimes you wonder how you’re able to even successfully dress yourself.  It reminded me of times when I was welding or using a cutting torch, and in the time it would take me to put down the stick and remove the shield, somehow I would forget that only seconds ago that piece of gray iron was molten orange and dripping.  Grab it anyway.  Same sizzle, same flat-ironed fingerprints, same little thumb-sucking jig.


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