Special Occasion

I woke up this morning earlier than normal and opted to drive into work rather than taking the subway. After dimpling my tie, I walked over to the humidors to make my morning smoke selection – and found myself at a loss.

No, cigars hadn’t gone missing…I had no idea which cigar to smoke.

Moving cigars and boxes left and right, I saw a box of Juan Lopez petit coronas from 2001 – gifted to me a few years ago by a good friend in Switzerland. It’s a trophy little stick with loads of flavor. But should I sacrifice one for my morning commute?

You see, I have lots of cigars, many of which I hold onto for a “special occasion.” But I’ve had countless special occasions since I’ve received these cigars, and not a single one had been broken out to celebrate.

So I decided to make my commute that special occasion.

I cut the cigar and lit it in my apartment, just to enjoy the aroma for a moment. Then I was off. As I neared the foot of the bridge, I found myself less agitated at the parade of brake lights ahead. As I blew the smoke up through my sunroof, I paused to allow a cab in from the right, instead of him just cutting me off. As I approached my green light at 3rd Avenue, I slowed to the crossing pedestrians (even though I had the right of way) before stopping to enjoy the rich spiciness that overwhelmed the flavor of this cigar.

I ended up double-parked outside the garage for another twenty minutes, listening to the news and watching my fellow New Yorkers rush about, as I sat behind the wheel enjoying the last inch of this most wonderful cigar. It’s important to appreciate life’s precious moments; but it’s equally – and perhaps even more important – to simply appreciate how precious life is, and enjoy every moment…

Michael Herklots

11/20/07

1 COMMENTS

Posted by Jose Blanco - Dec 18 2007 @ 1:27 PM
Re: Special Occasion Michael it is always great to see you, spend time and pick your brain, thanks.

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