Running Through Fire: Senescence, Refining, and Rebuilding
Yesterday I ran high into the mountains. Two miles up, lungs burning against the crisp air, autumn pressing in at the edges. The leaves are shifting. The pine cones are falling. Nature is preparing for change.
There’s a word for this: senescence. In biology, it means aging — cells that no longer divide, trees that turn gold before releasing their leaves, cones that crack open only when fire has touched them. Senescence isn’t just decline. It’s the wisdom of knowing when to let go, when to make space for what’s next.
In the forest, fire refines. It doesn’t only destroy — it frees seeds sealed for years inside a cone, clears the forest floor for new life, makes way for the unseen potential to emerge.
For many survivors of intimate partner violence, life feels like this cycle. There is the aging of dreams, the withering of trust, the fire of loss and trauma. But there is also the possibility of renewal. Just as the pine cone releases new life through heat, so too can a crucible of suffering become the very place where resilience and freedom are forged.
At The Crucible Center for Arts and Wellbeing, this is our mission: to create safe spaces where survivors can recover, refine, and rebuild. Through the arts, nature, and holistic wellness, we walk with survivors as they step out of cycles of violence and into a story of resilience. We believe healing is not just about surviving the fire, but discovering the seeds of strength hidden within it.
When I run, I often feel I’m running both from and toward something. From aging, from fear, from old wounds. Toward freedom, toward breath, toward the reminder that I am still here. This is the journey of those we serve as well: recovering, rebuilding, and reclaiming freedom.
Senescence. Refining. Rebuilding. Freedom.
This is the rhythm of the forest.
This is the rhythm of healing.
This is the rhythm of the Crucible.
If you or someone you love is experiencing intimate partner violence, you are not alone. Support is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 (SAFE). In an emergency, call 911.