Positively Glorious!

I wanted to have a post about my experience on Strange Love Live ready for Monday, but it’s difficult to do justice to that show, so it’s taking more time than I thought. Funny story about cigarette breaks:

When I was in the military, I wasn’t smoking seriously. I’d have a cigarette about once or twice per week, maxing out at about one or two cigarettes per day at one point. I used to buy packs for my friends and then bum them so I didn’t have stale cigs (they loved it because they came out ahead).

Anyway, the smokers on the submarine I was stationed on would go “topside” every hour or two to have a smoke. I decided that it wasn’t fair, so I went up and just chit-chatted with them. I actually got in trouble. “What are you doing?” “Taking a smoke break.” “You don’t smoke, stop wasting time and get back to work.”

So, I’d bum a cigarette from my friend (who was more than happy to oblige) and light up. Not good. I was just trying to “get away with something,” trying to “shirk responsibility,” etc.

Later, I was sitting in front of the XO with a reprimand. Awesome guy. He told me that I was right- it’s a stupid way to run things, but that’s the way it is. The conversation is lost, now, but basically consisted of  “Look around you, do you honestly think we just made all of this up last week and are just playing games? Yeah, a lot of it is stupid, but it’s a framework necessary to make the system work. Some of us recognize that it’s stupid, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s necessary. And let me tell you something, if you do nothing but make fun of it without appreciating it’s necessity, you’re going to have a long hard road on this boat. If you openly push your superior’s buttons just for fun, they’re going to push yours too, and we’ve got a lot more power to push.”

Then he ripped up the reprimand and said that he doesn’t condone smoking, and doesn’t want me to start, but if I’m standing topside, I’d “better have a  goddamn cigarette in my hand.”

I spent two years taking breaks with unlit cigarettes in my hand and no-one ever said another word to me. Turns out that the XO made it ship policy to stop bugging (paraphrase) “anyone holding a cigarette and taking a break for so long as a cigarette normally takes to be consumed.”

Most of The Navy was crap. But my XO was a great guy.

While I was never an avid smoker of tobacco, I’ve often thought that those who take cigarette breaks are blessed with some quality quiet time – several times a day. What if I stepped out and sat on a park bench for 15 minutes, about four times a day? Would I be healthier?

via Seeking Meditation Time | Positively Glorious!.