Two Years
Perhaps I should feel a sense of "accomplishment".
Perhaps I should "relish" my efforts.
Perhaps I should take "pride" in this milestone.
But.... really.... I just feel indifference. I feel a "who cares" mindset about this two year mark.
* * * * *
What have I learned, however?
1. Would I like to go back to smoking my pipes?
Yes. Every aspect of the hobby is enjoyable and pleasing to me.
2. Do I still YEARN to smoke a pipe?
No. I no longer have the deep, gnawing yearning for a pipe that I once had. I *do* think about pipes every day. I *do* miss them still. I have a pipe rack in my home office that I have filled with some of my most eye-pleasing pipes and a glass canister that I still keep filled with one of my especially pleasantly aromatic pipe tobaccos. I look at the pipes every day (admittedly a tad wistfully), and I like the gentle aromatic odor of the canister of pipe tobacco in my office even though most of the time, I keep the lid on the canister of pipe tobacco closed. I still have two of my favorite lighters also with the pipe rack. One is my Nimrod Pipe Lighter and the other is a Zippo Pipe Lighter . I light each of them occasionally. My other lighters are packed away with my other pipes and pipe tobaccos. I did throw away the ubiquitous but boring Bic lighters that I also often used to light my pipes... they were just plastic, throw-away items that were not special... just tools to assist... with no inherent artistry.
3. Are there any positives to have stopped these two years?
Yes. But, they are subjective. In some ways it is "easier" to not be a pipe smoker.... at least in 2020. I grew tired of some folks mentioning my "pipey" aura (in a negative fashion by them) that would occur occasionally especially during the last several years. And, in *theory* I have done what I can do at this point to decrease my risk of developing a smoking related ailment. But, those at the only two positives I can think of.
4. Other thoughts:
If I had any pipe smoking buddies anymore at least that I could visit regularly.... I would probably continue to smoke my pipes. I would relish having a pipe smoking buddy to have a few beers with and to just sit and talk. I do not like being a lone wolf. I grew tired of being a "Don Quixote". Society was far more pleasant in this regard, 30 years ago, and most assuredly 40 years ago and more. I still think about picking the pipe back up, I admit. But, the lack of a buddy and the crabbiness of folks these days has thus far deterred me.
PipeTobacco
5 Comments:
Congratulations! That is a great achievement whether you feel it or not. And I think you're better for it - healthwise I mean. I can't speak about the aura.
Some time ago, you mentioned that you detected a "pipey" aroma when meeting the father of one of your new students. Maybe a parent/professor conference is overdue? :-)
I remember when I was a boy, pipe smoking was ubiquitous. I even knew one old lady who smoked a pipe, a small clay object if my memory serves me well, originally white, but stained by frequent use. You could identify some of the old men by their pipes, and it seems to me it was all a very pleasant thing. Half the time was spent fiddling with the pipe, cleaning it, knocking it, filling it, tamping down the tobacco, even just looking at it admiringly. Three old fellows I especially remember always sat together on a bench waiting for the tavern to open, puffing away on their pipes and checking the pocket watches that hung from chains across their impressive bellies. I am quite sure they represented a level of wisdom and sophistication I could never hope to attain and the pipe was all a part of that.
I understand. I loved the "behavior" of pipe smoking and the culture of sitting, thinking, conversing and taking life by a more meditative measure. Assignment changes, more frequent deadlines, and travel made pipe smoking a "challenge" and even a burden. But I long for those moments. Now, as a retiree old boy, I've thought about the joy it brought, but the world has changed. Public attitude is certainly a factor, and indeed thoughts about health as we compete with the increasing complications of continued exposure to gravity.
Thanks for sparking those memories.
Just thinking that I don't think I have seen anyone with a pipe for decades. I can't remember the last time. Surely it wasn't 50 years ago when I was in uni.
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