In the south, the way people socialize is with food.  We eat at weddings, birthdays, funerals, baby showers, and many many more events…  So what is there to do that helps relieve stress and also allows you to socialize at the same time?

HAVE A FIRE!

My cousin and his wife made an awesome fire ring in their back yard and invited me over to visit.  One thing that came to mind as I sat down under the stars was that I forgot how much fun it can be.  We got to catch up and enjoy the crisp fall weather.

There were lots of laughs, stories and minutes of silence… which every single one of those things were relaxing.

All too often we are rushing around, stressing about work, sucked into the television, or screaming at the guy who cut us off on our way home from the grocery store.  How often are you sitting around a fire ring enjoying old company or meeting new company?

And this weekend, I got to do both.

So a word of advice… Shut off the tv and grab friends or family and make a fire.

I can promise you, you’ll be glad you did.