As a pipe smoker, you’re no stranger to reflection and contemplation. For me, it’s probably the most valued aspect of this pastime. It just feels right to set aside time regularly in order to pause, depressurize, reflect, and appreciate what’s going on in my life.
And life surely gives us plenty of occasions to reflect, whether it’s an anniversary, a reunion, a niece starting high school, your son getting his drivers license, or a family member’s passing. Each significant event grabs us and, more often than not, turns our attention to the past.
With our oldest starting his master's program, and our youngest heading off to her first year of college, I find myself thinking of our lives together. Since I’ve always loved being in nature, I started getting the kids out among the trees as soon as they were old enough to walk. We scrambled up hill sides, slopped through creeks, and turned over every rock and dead log just to see what was crawling underneath. When we lived in Columbus, we frequented the wonderful metro parks in the area during every season. These patches of nature in and around the city played a major part in the kids' upbringing.
From this bittersweet moment here at the end of this section of our life’s trail — and looking into the uncharted empty nest portion — I’m inspired to release a Metro Parks Series. I’ll be bringing this collection along with several other pipes to the NASPC Pipe Show this Friday & Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North. It’s just a few miles from where our babies were born, grew up, laughed, cried, and turned into two of the best things I’ve been able to be a part of.
If you make it to the show, stop by the table and say hi and tell me if you’re a subscriber. I love to put faces to the names. Just forgive me if I seem a little misty. I’m at the end of a long trail, about to start the next.
