Fires and The Remembered

I greatly enjoyed the short story fires. This is probably because I was a runner for a good portion of my life and I know how Glenda feels when she runs. There aren't too many feelings like running. I would personally love to go running through the mountains as she did because it would be so peaceful. Even with someone trailing her, they never talked and I envy her for that privilege. People who run are not always running from some problem they have in their life. They run to better themselves, not just physically but also mentally. When I run like that, my mind wanders. I think about goals and dreams, and I don't have any care in the world. Things are just simpler while I'm running. 

What i took away from fires was that you should love what you have in your life, and don't throw it away. On the last page when Glenda said "please love", I feel she was talking about everything around the narrator. She had set a fire to everything around him to show him he would miss the beauty in his world, and on a deeper level, miss her. It is rare to have a connection with someone without talking to them consistently. Their runs were silent, like their bond. Even though he knew that she was going to leave, they still were connected.

The Remembered was a story unlike any that I have ever read. It was about a woman who had the love of her life devolve from his human form into more primitive forms every day. This was actually very disturbing to think about. Her husband became an ape, and then continued this process and became a salamander. On the bright side of the story she always loved him, no matter what shape or form he became next. True unconditional love as great as hers is rare in today's world.

The thing that I took away from this story is to think about things less. Her lover, before the process happened, always told her to think about things less. He would take her out under the stars and tell her there is no space for anything but dreaming. As the story progressed, she did this more and more. She didn't even think about him turning into an ape. She merely accepted it and continued to love him for he was. She didn't call 911; she sat with him and smoothed his fur. People in today's world do think about some things far too much. Then this leads to worrying which is not normally a good thing.

Together both of these stories have a common theme of letting your mind go. Stop worrying about tomorrow and live your life for today, because there are beautiful things around you and you won't know how long they'll last.