The Universe Has a Sense of Humor

Seems to be a good day for old friends.

First I got that e-mail from Craig. Then, I got a call from my old coworker Thomas. And then, I got an e-mail from a grad school buddy, Wade.

I first started smoking with my friend Craig, in high school.

Thomas, Josh and I worked for the same company, and took our smoke breaks together – seriously, like clockwork. Once an hour. A little under a year ago, we all tried to quit smoking (with varying success). When Thomas called tonight, we talked a briefly about work, and he told me he had officially quit smoking as well.

In his e-mail, Wade asked if he could get a copy of an essay I wrote while in grad school, the one I wrote about smoking cigarettes. In that essay, I talk about what smoking represents, why I smoked, advice people gave on quitting, my mom slapping me as we were arguing about cigarettes. In that essay, I wrote about how I started smoking, a long time ago, in high school. With my buddy Craig.