Raul Julia And My Dog

There is a great quote by the late Raul Julia, "Maybe it's like becoming one with the cigar. You lose yourself in it; everything fades away: your worries, your problems, your thoughts. They fade into the smoke, and the cigar and you are at peace."

For you long time readers you will recall when my dog Ace died. The truth is that I understand this quote after discovering it last night. During his last few weeks I could see Ace was getting feeble and having a harder time getting around.

So every evening I would go outside in a lawn chair, a drink, a cigar, and my dog. We would spend a couple of hours together, his head on my lap and I'd scratch his ears. The evenings were mostly quiet and peaceful, if they were anything other than that I never noticed or cared.

Ace would lay down at my feet and I'd rub him with a foot. Enjoying his fading company and a cigar at the same time, they enhanced each other while I was merely a bystander. He would nap and I would savor his company regretting that I didn't spend more time with him when he was younger.

I wasn't a very experienced cigar smoker at the time, only a few months and maybe a few dozen sticks into my journey. Now I can look back and really appreciate those times even though it was just this past Summer. They are something I'll remember for years, how perfect the evenings were, how soothing his company was, how great the cigars tasted.

The world fell away. The everyday grind wasn't as bad. Nothing much mattered except my dog and my cigar.