Pipeology - The Fine Art of Pipe Smoking and Thought

 I don’t know how angels do what they do.  They announce themselves with peace and tell us not to be afraid.  This world causes stress for me and I like to be alone a lot.  But it is great to have family here for the holidays. I simply ask my angels to care for my family and do what I am not always capable of doing.   I’m not a very social person.  I know this about myself.  I am great one.on-one but many more and I’d rather be by myself.  It helps me concentrate on my time alone.  I enjoy having others around but I enjoy my alone time.  I could say my angels made me the way I am.   My lifestyle has not been favorable about making money in life, but I had to learn how to commune with God and angels.  I can’t explain how I meditate or like being alone a lot, but I could say I had to adapt to this world the best I can.  If I had to change myself I would, but I enjoy my time alone.   If one can enjoy oneself without fear...

 Essentially I am a cult of one.  I have refused to join a religion of any kind.  I am my own religion.  I believe that at the judgement—of which there is only one, when the Messiah comes, God will ask just one question.  That question pertains to the taking of Human Life.  That’s  all there is to it.   But for many it isn’t easy not to do harm.  Yet, in my thinking, that’s all there is to it.  But ask anyone how easy this is not to do harm.  In years past I have written about Santa and Red Speedos, but this year I’ve decided to focus more on my Angels.  I’ve just been more focused on them throughout the past year.   I feel my Angels are new to more people this year.  But as I said yesterday, I might have less stress if I changed my theology and joined a church. But  actually, I learned that is more stress and not less.  I asked my angels whether I had to give up my pipes.  They told me it was up to me....

 The angels are a part of the Christmas narrative.  In more recent years I have written about Santa but this year I seem to be more focused on angels and their simple theology of doing no harm to others or oneself.  It is a very simple theology and perhaps too simple for most to grasp.  Surely there has to be more to it than this.   But unconditional love is just this.  Simply do no harm.  It is the Hypocratic oath taken by doctors today.  Simply not to do harm.  But what does that mean in today’s society?  It means to live and let live.  It means we don’t condemn except when one has intentionally taken a life.  That’s it.  Otherwise we are to love and forgive.   Loving unconditionally means to forgive unconditionally.  This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn.  But I just tell others and regardless of beliefs I simply say believe what you wish but do no harm.  Anyone who threatens to do harm mu...

 I have no reason to fear death but maybe I could say I have every reason to fear life.  For many it is the opposite.  My brushes with death taught me not to fear it.  I could say I have many reasons to fear life and living, but really even with life I have few fears., Maybe my greatest fear is an OSU loss.   But I jest.  I’ve learned to embrace life and living.  I couldn’t say this 32 years ago, but I say it now.  Even if no one understands me I know God does.  This is what matters to me.  Everyone wants to be understood.  What matters most is that we do no harm either to others or ourselves.  This is the straight and narrow path of life.   I don’t have a lot to say this morning, except to say my brushes with death taught me not to fear.  I live with a lot of worries in life, but I live with no fear.  Except maybe I could say I have a healthy fear of pain. That might be my greatest fear.   I’m relaxing this...

 I actually have celebrations throughout the year.  But since 2011 Christmas has been a special celebration.  Everyone needs special celebrations throughout the year.  We need to have special celebrations for life.  Christmas has been a celebration with family and close friends.   The Christmas of 2011 was special because I lost some 30 pounds due to my heart attack.  My wife has a Christmas picture of me from that year and I’ll admit I look pretty sickly.  But I’ve kept the weight off and try to walk almost every day.  I was thankful just to be alive.   The holidays have been special since 1993. This year is no different.  I remember throughout the year.  Some days are more special than others.  We’ll have two Christmases this year.  Our son and his gang will leave the 22nd and my wife says we’ll have a family Christmas on the 21st.   Then we’ll celebrate again on the 25th with friends.  Christmas is specia...

I might be the only one my age who says I’m fourteen today but I suppose if you were to ask my family I’m in my second childhood so-to-speak.  But yesterday I made a big deal out of my heart attack but today not so much.    It’s not that I fear death—no, I fear pain.  Death doesn’t frighten me in the least.  I have talked with many who have had that kind of heart attack and the women have said it’s worse than child birth.  There really isn’t a pain like it they have said.  If I could go without the pain I’d be in heaven right now.   But if I had to go through that pain to get there I’d rather live.  But a lot has happened in these last fourteen years.  And I’ve been alive to live my life relatively pain free.  My appendicitis wasn’t all that painful but the stomach tube was annoying enough.  But we sold our home and invested in another place in NY and now live with our son here in Florida.   I’m limited in what u do and I ...

 Tomorrow ends the 14th year since my hear attack.  I had the widow-maker and only by the grace of God and a good heart surgeon I survived.  I had never experienced such pain in my life!  I knew I wasn’t going to die but my heart was damaged so much it functions at about 50%.   It was a Saturday and we were going to visit my mom.  The timing couldn’t have been better!  We could have been out on the road.  It was about nine O’clock in the morning and I had to pump up a tire on the car.  The funny thing is I had a BP check in October and it was 120/80 with no signs of anything being wrong.   I was about 30 pounds over weight and I simply was not taking very good care of myself.  I was under some duress during that time, but still no sign of it happening.  My wife questioned as to whether it was a heart attack but I told her to call 911.  I had no doubt what was happening.   The squad came and they confirmed it was a hea...

 Live with others as you would live with yourself.  It just doesn’t get any simpler.  Live and let live.  God just wants us to live as we let others live.  We have to live with ourselves.  This is the essence of religions in general.  We are to do no harm—either to others or to ourselves.   It sounds too simple to be true, but it isn’t all that simple.  Our world today makes this theology very complex.  There are too many issues at stake here with such a theology.  What if others want to do harm to us?  In its simplest form this is what Christmas is all about.  Jesus came to this world as the Prince of all Peace.   Christmas is about being selfless.  It’s about sharing with others.  It’s a time of giving.  But Christmas reminds us that every day is Christmas.  This is the beauty of the season.  It is a reminder.  I remember every day I smoke my pipe.  And I have pipes that were given...

 Christmas is about Love and Peace, but Christmas reminds us that Love and Peace are year round and not just for the season.  It is a special time of year when we gather with friends and family, but it is a reminder those same friends and family are in our hearts the year round.   As we get older the gifts aren’t about the getting but the giving.  Sure we think of children opening gifts on Christmas morning, but as adults we think about the giving.  My wife and I buy what we want throughout the year so when Christmas comes around our list for wants isn’t very long.   My wife and I will sit down to create a want list, but our wants aren’t much because we’d rather spend the money on family especially with the cost of airfare.  Due to flight schedules we’ll celebrate Christmas a few days early, but will celebrate with friends Christmas Day.   But Christmas reminds that every day is Christmas.  But this does not diminish the meaning of the season...

 I suppose if I am really good at something my wife says I’m good at wrapping gifts.  I shop mostly for my wife and I have to say Amazon makes it easy.  She puts what she wants in a wish list, but otherwise we discuss what to get everyone but she does the shopping.  All I know is that I will have a lot of gifts to wrap.   Last night I wrapped a gift that required a lot of wrapping paper.  I probably use more wrapping apart than necessary but at least it doesn’t look like a gift was wrapped by a five year old.  Actually I get in the spirit of Christmas by wrapping.   Of course I don’t wrap my own gifts.  But my gifts are always nicely wrapped.  But when my wife asks me to wrap gifts I’ll balk thinking how tedious of a task it is.  But then I begin cutting the wrapping paper and measuring the gift against the wrapping and I begin to get into it thinking I don’t want it to look like a five year old wrapped it.   So, I guess I am t...

 We have a lot of old Christmas items from years past.  We have our decorations up and lights on the house.  My son will be coming with his group from Columbus in a few weeks.  I guess you could say we’re ready for Christmas.  There isn’t much to do before they get here. But Christmas reminds me of all the Christmases we celebrated as family.  We were talking the other day about the gifts our kids received at Christmas.  Now it’s not so much about the gifts but just being together for the time they’ll be here.   Christmas is the time of year we celebrate a lot of memories with friends and family.  I have a number of pipes I received as gifts from family.  One of them is the Dunhill pipe I am smoking this morning with some Balkan Supreme.  My coffee is Bella Maria.  Thank you for your time and Peace and Love to each one of you. Papa Chasteen

 The Christmas season is as much about angels as it is about the Christ child.  That’s why I love the season.  It’s not about the gifts or the lights or the music but about the event itself.  That’s why I love the season so much.  It’s more about the feelings of love and peace during this time of year. Of course we are to get the idea that Christmas is year round, but if Christmas was celebrated year round this time wouldn’t be so special.  But I could say for myself that Christmas is year round as long as I don’t forget.  I have many reminders that I focus on throughout the year.   But the season reminds us every year about this time not to forget.  Christmas is a year round celebration.  But this is a special time to just remember.  It is a reminder.  But for me it is a reminder that Jesus and Angels are a year round celebration.  I work hard at remembering through out the year. This is in part why I smoke a pipe while I...

 As we age we don’t like a lot of change.  I add a person one at a time to my life because I’ve lived with a lot of chaos.  Being content is a goal for a lot of older people.  And for me the fewer the better.  I say this because the holidays bring on a lot of stresses with a lot of activities that involve a lot of people. Introverts are often misunderstood.  I told my wife I like small gatherings but for her the holidays involved a lot of people.  I grew up with that in the church.  Holidays were stressful for our family often revolving around many strangers.  In this regard when it comes to holidays my wife and I are opposites.  She enjoys entertaining and I’ve enjoyed more solitude especially as I get older.   The holidays can be stressful for this reason for many.  We need to make sure we take time out of our busy lives for ourselves.  Our Christmas this year will revolve mostly around family and I like that.  But ...