Smoking a cigar often gets me into a reflective mood, and sometimes I find myself reflecting on the cigar itself.
I think about all the people who put in so much time and effort.....
to prepare the fields
to plant the seeds
to grow the crop
to harvest the leaves
to cure the tobacco.
Multiply that by at least three for the wrapper, binder, and filler.
And then....one special person sitting at a table rolls the cigar by hand. (When I smoke, I often say a silent thank you to her or him.)
And then there are all the people who made it possible for that cigar to eventually end up in my hand in good condition.
When I am done, what remains of the fruit of all their time and labor?
Most of it lies in the ashtray.
Even the precious smoke I draw is mostly exhaled into the air.
Almost none of the cigar has actually been consumed by me...what isn't in the discarded butt has either gone "up in smoke" or is reduced to ash. It's as if I am fated to nothing more than a passing acquaintance with the cigar.
And yet, the experience is still so deep, so rich, so satisfying. And so intimate...for it connects me with all of those people.
I think about all the people who put in so much time and effort.....
to prepare the fields
to plant the seeds
to grow the crop
to harvest the leaves
to cure the tobacco.
Multiply that by at least three for the wrapper, binder, and filler.
And then....one special person sitting at a table rolls the cigar by hand. (When I smoke, I often say a silent thank you to her or him.)
And then there are all the people who made it possible for that cigar to eventually end up in my hand in good condition.
When I am done, what remains of the fruit of all their time and labor?
Most of it lies in the ashtray.
Even the precious smoke I draw is mostly exhaled into the air.
Almost none of the cigar has actually been consumed by me...what isn't in the discarded butt has either gone "up in smoke" or is reduced to ash. It's as if I am fated to nothing more than a passing acquaintance with the cigar.
And yet, the experience is still so deep, so rich, so satisfying. And so intimate...for it connects me with all of those people.
