A Memory Revisited (Part 3)

[Please note, if you have not done so, and wish to start reading at part one of this essay, please scroll down to the first "A Memory Revisited (Part 1)" essay.  I am seeing while re-reading these words myself that I appear to have a three-pronged reason for the pipe having such a strong grip on me.  One is the nicotine, another is association with my father, and the third is how the particular pipe habit is ingrained in my own understanding of myself.  No wonder it is difficult to refrain.]


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The observation I made of my father when he smoked his pipe made me quite curious. Up and until that point, my father's pipe smoking had always simply been a part of who he was... I never thought much about it, other than finding the aromas reassuring that all was well with the world. I had never given any thought as to why my father indulged in the pipe hobby... again it just seemed a part of him. But to notice the visible sense of relaxation/contentment in my father's face.... the gentle drooping of his moustache, the relaxation in his mouth and chin that quieted the bristling nature of his beard. Additionally, I could see in his eyes and eyelids, even behind his owlish glasses, a perceptible change, a greater sense of serenity, his brows became unfurrowed, his forehead relaxed.

Never having noticed this, obviously never having paid attention in my previous eight years, I found it very curious and interesting. I continued to watch him every time he pulled out one of his massive pipes and began the ritual of filling the bowl with crumbles and igniting flame and leaf. Each time, the same indicators of calmness and relaxation washed over him and I found it amazing.

After a few weeks of observation, curiosity got the better of me and I began to contemplate trying out one of his pipes myself to see more precisely what was occurring with my father during indulgence in the beautiful briar.

The challenge was.... how?!?

[Another good stopping point for now. Comments or suggestions are always appreciated.]

PipeTobacco