My friend and fellow Odyssey writer, Brand Selvia published an article this week about his “old man hobby I was initially sucked into the world of pipe smoking by way of cigars. I picked up a pipe because a pouch of tobacco lasted much longer than a decent cigar.

When I arrived at Wabash, pipe smoking just seemed to make sense for the environment. There are portraits of my scholarly predecessors all over campus, and a good third of the men are depicted with a pipe. Pipe smoking carries an air of ancient masculinity, and calm intellect. Those feelings soon became irresistible.

In the fast-paced and stressful world of college, many students rarely take time to sit down and enjoy something. There are numerous vices in this world, but a cigar or pipe are among the few that force you to slow-down. That is what pipe-smoking is for me. It is an opportunity to sit outside, and just enjoy the world around me. I am almost required to relax for at least 45 minutes to upwards of an hour (larger pipes take longer to smoke).

There are innumerable beautiful days that might have passed me by had I not found time for a smoke. In the winter months especially, I find myself relishing every day that gets warm enough for me to sit outside with my pipe without freezing to death. Perhaps our grandfathers and great-grandfathers understood something we didn’t. Sure there are health risks, but the amount of peaceful afternoons I’ve enjoyed make it more than worth it.

Somewhere in our society’s progression, we forgot to slow down. To quote Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t slow down every once in a while, you just might miss it”

I will admit this is not one of my most coherent or thoughtful articles, but I feel like the simplicity of its message will be dismissed. As a final note, I urge you to make time to gather your thoughts, to be present in a moment. Do not idly tap at your phone while life passes you by. Take a break from your duties to watch the sunset. Literally, smell a rose or two. Find whatever makes you slow down for a while, and do it often.

Take time for yourself.