Archive for the ‘Lighters’ Category
With the litany of health risks associated with smoking cigarettes, it seems intuitive that the number of people sparking up should be steadily declining. However, there are people around the globe who still smoke, regardless of the substantial medical evidence against it. Admittedly, I am one of those who continue to puff away, and I also have several friends and family members who are in this demographic.
Smoking is obviously a personal choice, and most people who smoke have come to grips with the fact that it is detrimental to their health. Not that I like to promote smoking, but with the abundance of cool lighters now available, I find myself giving them out on a regular basis for holidays and birthdays. While this may be considered enabling, I think that those who smoke are going to do so regardless of what anyone says or does.
Last week I was at a bar with some of my buddies when a scuffle broke out between us and a few other guys around the bar. Before things escalated too far, sound judgment took over and we went our separate ways. Later in the night I stepped out for a cigarette and I bumped into one of the guys from the other group.
We started talking amiably enough, and it seemed like everything had been smoothed over. When I asked him for a light, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a sidearm. I immediately hit the ground, and…he burst out laughing. He quickly showed me that it was simply a gun lighter, and we had a good laugh about the incident.
Thanks to increased pressure from friends and family, my father quit smoking five years ago. Prior to that, he would go through a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. To be honest, I’m not even sure if the health risks were the factor that finally convinced him to break the habit. The financial strain made a serious impact as well. Despite his healthy new lifestyle choices, Dad does uphold one tradition that started during his old smoking days.
His collection of novelty lighters continues to grow because relatives, friends and acquaintances continue to send them to him. Last year when my brother went to Barbados he shipped Dad an empty keepsake lighter with scantily clad women on the side. I added my own contribution to the collection when I was perusing a Web site and found a lighter shaped like a gun.