The Fire That Burns

My youngest was roughly 18 months old when, in an uncharacteristically unguarded moment, she reached out to touch the flame of a candle. The resulting burn wasn’t all that bad…but she certainly remembered the moment. For the next few years, whenever she’d see a lit candle, she would catch my attention and touch her index finger and thumb together as if to silently signal that touching fire was a bad idea.

I thought of that moment today as I read a story about the State of Colorado’s declining visitor economy. While part of it can be attributed to a lack of snow this Winter, a lot more of the recent declines stem directly from the diversion of lodging taxes away from Destination Marketing. And why does that remind me of my daughter?

Colorado touched this flame some 30 years ago…but unlike my daughter, they clearly didn’t retain the learning. Sigh.