Burning the Candle at One End

Quite some time ago, I felt assaulted by bright lights, loud noises and felt a deep need to mute my world.

I embraced waking up to the darkness and navigated my mornings with the under-counter kitchen lights dimmed to emit the least amount of light. I lit a candle in the bathroom and wrote by the light of a lamp.

I didn't turn on the fan. I kept all noises to a bare minimum. I padded around in the quiet of the mornings until the sun woke up and signaled the need to carry on with real life demands.

I love my quiet little life and have held onto the muted sensory intake for several years. I have a candle in the bathroom which emits a faint light and light aroma. 

When COVID hit, most people were running to stock up on toilet paper. I was scrambling to restock my candle supply in case stores closed or we had to quarantine in place. 

Since that time, I have maintained an ample supply of toilet paper AND candles. The exception to restocking my candle supply came when budget restrictions demanded I stay clear of the dollar store where I replenished my candle supply. 

I had ONE 80 hour candle which I thought had used up at least 75 of its candle hours left in the house. Each and every time I lit it, I thought "this" would be the day the candle would reach the end of its wick. Each day I blew out the candle, I counted it as a bonus day.

Two weeks ago, I restocked my candle supply. Two weeks prior to that, I thought the candle was nearing the end of its eighty hours of light. This morning, I blew out the candle yet one more time. The candle will live to burn another day.

The phrase "burning the candle at both ends" surfaces and resurfaces with each bonus day I light this Sea Salt & Caramel scented candle ONE more time. 

Burning the candle at only one end certainly adds an extended time of enjoyment to life. Literally and figuratively.