Small Things #16 - Sparklers

As I wandered past the washing machine late last night, I saw a packet of sparklers left over from Hamish's party.  I thought about how much I enjoy sparklers and how it seems like a long time between parties when I get to play with them.

Also the problem with having sparklers around kids is that most of your attention is on the kids.  Teaching them how not to burn themselves, how to spin them to make cool light circles and taking a million photos (cause there is nothing quiet as special as watching your kids play with things you love from your own childhood).

Then I realised, those sparklers on the washing machine are mine!  And in spite of how I feel (sometimes), I am an adult and if I want to light a sparkler on a non party day then that is perfectly within my scope of reasonable activities.

So I lit the sparkler and watched it fizz and sparkle, I bent the end and made big sparkler circles and then it fizzed out of fizz.  So I lit another one and just sat and watched. I soaked in the sulfur smell that reminds me of my childhood and faced the age old problem of 'what do you do with the hot metal stick once you have finished spinning it round in circles'.

Tonight as I wandered outside I saw the sparklers again and lit one.  They are so beautiful.  But I reminded myself that part of what makes sparklers special is that they are a once in a while item.  I put them back in the party box and decided that next time I need a lift, I'll try and remember to lite a sparkler, but not so often that they run out of special.