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Stress and Yearnings

I am under an enormous, I mean ENORMOUS amount of stress today as a result of some last minute teaching I must engage in. Today's effort will involve (does involve) 7 straight hours of unrelenting instruction. My mind is in a very different place at the moment, so I am feeling grumpy, resentful, anxious, and tired... instead of the normal enthusiasm I have for teaching.

All of this unrelenting stress has me daydreaming as I sit here while I monitor a brief exam the students are taking. What am I daydreaming of, you may ask? Perhaps daydreaming is a bit of a misnomer. I am yearning for, no, I am utterly captivated by thoughts of, no I am looking for any way to divert my attention from my stress and anxiety, no, I am simply a fool... but what I am so desperately yearning for is my pipe, and an enormous bowl of the strongest, most intensive pipe tobacco I own. I so imagine the peace and tranquility of indulging in this way with the beloved briar wood. The pipe is a vessel upon which a man may take a journey AWAY from his troubles and arrive into a land of serenity and peace. Yet, for me it is probably at least eight hours away.

PipeTobacco