A literary Firepit

October 16, 2021

Reflections, Day 8

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

—F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

It is a very small back yard behind a very large house that is being drastically remodeled. There are a couple of places for shrubbery planting but only one flat spot.

The builder suggested that perhaps we could lay sod for a nice place where the future residents could sit outside in lawn chairs, perhaps have a libation or two, and speak of cabbages and kings. I thought about it for a few days (or weeks). I finally came up with the idea that if we wanted a sitting area, then we should build a sitting area. Fire pits are right popular these days so we decided on a pea gravel sitting area with a nice border. An informal place to relax.

But here’s what was funny—we began with the idea of a circle, but the border sort of talked to us and changed that. I did like the finished area—a lot—but when I stood back and took a picture I noticed that it resembled a large eye gazing up at the heavens. There is symbolism here, with the fiery eye looking up at the heavens. I will leave it to the English teachers to elaborate on the possibilities.

An English teacher will quickly associate the quote and the eye with a literary masterpiece. (and sometimes it’s just a firepit)

The rest of us will have to be content as we “beat on against the current.”

—john schulz