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Significant Challenge At One Week

It is just a few minutes past midnight as I write this on Tuesday morning. I am not sure if I will actually post this essay or just keep it as a "draft".

At the moment, I am feeling a very strong desire to indulge in a pipe. I have been daydreaming for the last half hour or so about which pipe I would select, how it would feel to once again pack the bowl firmly with the rich, dark, aromatic leaf. I keep imagining in my mind's eye, how it would feel to hold that pipe in my hands, to again grip the stem between my teeth, to feel the hairs of my moustache and beard cascade around the stem. I would relish hearing the sound of the wheel of the lighter as I strike it and the bright golden flame as it would erupt. I can sense the beauty in slowly drawing that flame deep into the brown crumbles of leaf, melding the
yellow flame and brown leaf into a warm, red ember. I can sense the texture and flavor of the smoke as I draw a plume of the thick grey smoke into my mouth and then experience the cornucopia of sensations as I inhale the plume into my lungs. The vivid surge of the nicotine would be akin to beautiful, bright sparkles of fireworks brightening the inner recesses of my brain, the pleasure exquisite.

I have now completed seven days of refraining from my beloved pipes. Up until this point, the refraining from my hobby has been rather straight forward, predictable, and fairly easy. I have thought often about their simple gifts to me, and have had moments where I felt mild regret about my refraining (the feeling of being alone and metaphorically "naked" on my ride home from work without my friendly pipes, for instance). Yet, at this very moment (now) it is only now that I feel for the first time in the week a deep, restless YEARNING & LONGING for that beautiful friend, the pipe. The feeling seems as if it penetrates deep into my very soul.

As I go now to prepare for bed, I anticipate that my dream state this evening shall be very richly filled with images of pipes and pipe smoking. It shall be interesting.

PipeTobacco

[Postscript: I went to bed immediately after writing the above. No dreams at all last night, just a few, nebulous nightmares. The very strong feelings about having a pipe have dissipated. I feel back to my typical state about the briar.... I think about it, but feel I am fulfilling my Lenten vow with the refraining from the hobby.

- PipeTobacco ]