All About The Pipe

Smoking A Pipe, Any Pipe That Works, Is A Luxurious Activity.

It is a time more insulated from life's problems than a piece of wood with a hole through it and some burning leaves has any business creating; yet that it does, repeatably and reliably -- there is something extra, unexplained, special, almost magical involved.

Others do not understand this, but we know what it is to sit in silent communion with the pipe. They can sense that something is going on that they don't understand, but they can never truely understand it unless they experience it for themselves.

The newbie is one who feels a desire for this communion but has not yet experienced it, who fumbles with the accoutrements in frustrated hope of mastery. Choosing the pipe that promises fulfillment, the tobacco that hints at nirvana, the other tools that must be had prior to entry into these mysteries. Passing through the rites of packing, lighting, smoking, tamping, cleaning... slowly overcoming the frustrations of a pack that is too loose or too tight, smokes that unaccountably put themselves out just when they're starting to get to the good place, bubbling noises that distract and prevent entry into the silent communion.

When you reach the point where you can sit down with a pipe and smoke a bowl, without those distractions pushing you away from the silent calm that permeates your soul, you have gained something more valuable than gold or jewels, cash or real estate; you have achieved the ability to find a peace that is unknown to most, whenever you need to seek its solace.

By Peter Prygelski