I know our favored vice has a way of occasionally compelling us into a sentimental mode, where lofty words like "brotherhood" are bandied about and misty-eyed smokers make paeans to a golden past that exists more in their minds than anything else. I'm hardly immune to such impulses, but I do try to keep grounded and to simply enjoy my tobacco for what it is. Still, a series of encounters made me reconsider, at least on the subject of fellowship, that the old sentimentalists may have had a point after all.
I recently found out about a fairly new cigar shop, Living My Best Cigar Life, that is literally a three minute's drive from my workplace. How it escaped my notice for so long is beyond me, but a former colleague brought it to my attention, and with another week's work behind me, I decided to visit last Friday. It was a nice little shop, with competitive prices and a friendly proprietor. He had some Peterson tins at a fair price, so I bought a tin of Royal Yacht a few cigars too.
A man who works with Aganorsa Leaf was there too, and told me about an event he was holding at Chesterton's, another cigar shop about a 40 minutes drive from my home. I've been to Chesterton's many times and enjoyed it, but never really stayed around other than to maybe smoke a pipe in their lounge.
I went to that event and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bought a few cigars, got a few free ones, and the presentation by the Aganorsa rep was really cool. He had individual leaves wrapped so we can taste the components one by one, and then later combine them to see how the different flavors and textures mingled. It was a good time and was just the kind of thing I always wanted to attend. Being somewhat new to cigars, it was also very illuminating.
When things began to wind down, I realized I didn't actually know anyone there and that I had (perhaps subconsciously) chosen a seat in the corner far away from everyone else. I decided it would be best to socialize, and I'm glad I did. I met a man there named Anthony, and we talked about what we do. We found we both work in the recovery and reentry communities (i.e. we help people suffering from addiction reintegrate back into society), and we really hit it off.
He said something that really stuck with me. He told me the importance of fellowship, and how something as simple as the occasional outing at a cigar shop could really help former addicts stay in recovery, because of the fellowship of other people helps buoy them. It's an obvious point, but it is one so easy to miss in my line of work. There's so much to be done, and it is so easy to accidentally treat people like problems instead of as, well, people. He told me he had one client that he introduced to the cigar shop in his hometown, and how that client credits his sobriety partially to be able to enjoy a good smoke with friends, in perfect fellowship.
It was good for me. Not just the free cigars, or the knowledge from the presentation, or even just making new connections that may prove useful in my work. It was good to just simply be. It's so easy to carve out little worlds for ourselves and make small places in it for a few trusted people. But sometimes we need to venture out and just be around people for its own sake. I always knew that, but it is good to be reminded from time to time.
I recently found out about a fairly new cigar shop, Living My Best Cigar Life, that is literally a three minute's drive from my workplace. How it escaped my notice for so long is beyond me, but a former colleague brought it to my attention, and with another week's work behind me, I decided to visit last Friday. It was a nice little shop, with competitive prices and a friendly proprietor. He had some Peterson tins at a fair price, so I bought a tin of Royal Yacht a few cigars too.
A man who works with Aganorsa Leaf was there too, and told me about an event he was holding at Chesterton's, another cigar shop about a 40 minutes drive from my home. I've been to Chesterton's many times and enjoyed it, but never really stayed around other than to maybe smoke a pipe in their lounge.
I went to that event and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bought a few cigars, got a few free ones, and the presentation by the Aganorsa rep was really cool. He had individual leaves wrapped so we can taste the components one by one, and then later combine them to see how the different flavors and textures mingled. It was a good time and was just the kind of thing I always wanted to attend. Being somewhat new to cigars, it was also very illuminating.
When things began to wind down, I realized I didn't actually know anyone there and that I had (perhaps subconsciously) chosen a seat in the corner far away from everyone else. I decided it would be best to socialize, and I'm glad I did. I met a man there named Anthony, and we talked about what we do. We found we both work in the recovery and reentry communities (i.e. we help people suffering from addiction reintegrate back into society), and we really hit it off.
He said something that really stuck with me. He told me the importance of fellowship, and how something as simple as the occasional outing at a cigar shop could really help former addicts stay in recovery, because of the fellowship of other people helps buoy them. It's an obvious point, but it is one so easy to miss in my line of work. There's so much to be done, and it is so easy to accidentally treat people like problems instead of as, well, people. He told me he had one client that he introduced to the cigar shop in his hometown, and how that client credits his sobriety partially to be able to enjoy a good smoke with friends, in perfect fellowship.
It was good for me. Not just the free cigars, or the knowledge from the presentation, or even just making new connections that may prove useful in my work. It was good to just simply be. It's so easy to carve out little worlds for ourselves and make small places in it for a few trusted people. But sometimes we need to venture out and just be around people for its own sake. I always knew that, but it is good to be reminded from time to time.
