Blog 823 – 11.23.2017

Why I Carry A Lighter?

I carry a lighter – to remind me that we all carry the fire. I believe that all of creation has within, including us, the Divine spark that only needs to be fanned a little to be a roaring fire for others to warm and to see by who have not yet fanned their own inner spark.

When I was a boy in the nineteen fifties most adults smoked and my parents were no exceptions, both smoked. Both carried lighters, mom in her purse and dad in his pant pocket. Mom’s lighter, and you must remember this was way before the popularity of propane lighters of the relatively inexpensive Bic variety, was the more delicate push the button on the top for a small flame on the other end on top kind. Dad was a WWII vet and carried a brass Zippo flame proof model that had been quite popular with the U.S. Armed Forces during the war. Zippo’s were then and still are proudly made in Bradford, PA in the good ole U.S.A. I never took up the habit of smoking, never even took a puff. I had enough second hand smoke from my parents, relatives, and the soldiers and people I worked with to last me a lifetime. And trust me during three years in the Army I picked up way more than I thought was my share of cigarette butts since I never dropped one on the ground in the U.S., Vietnam, or anywhere else on this big beautiful blue ball I temporarily call home.

Some years ago I got the idea of carrying a lighter even though I do not smoke nor ever intend to start. Three reasons popped into mind: First, even though I believe smoking to be an expensive, unhealthy, and nasty habit I still think it is incredibly sexy to see a pretty woman smoke, so I wanted to be able to light all the pretty smoking women’s cigarettes who might need a light. It is a gentleman’s duty or at least it was in by-gone days. Dating code then said if she touched your hand while you held your lighter for her cigarette that it meant she was interested in warming by your fire. Smoking was and still is for some a very sexy ritual. Why, for generations many couples celebrated the very act of completed sexual intercourse with a smoke. Makes you a little less surprised that so many young people took up the habit and found it very hard to break.

My second inducement to carrying a Zippo was that I loved my Dad and though there was the usual father son rivalry over Mama’s love he was my boyhood hero and I know I am like him and I celebrate the best in my dad and always want to project that to others. Lastly and you might think this the funniest reason of the three – Opie Taylor on the Andy Griffin Show was voted Keeper Of The Flame as a young boy in his little gang and I believe we are all Keepers of the Flame.

For sometime I carried a brushed stainless steel Zippo but shortly after arriving in Wisconsin last year I lost it out of my pocket in a movie theater seat, one of those really nice ones that have the motorized reclining function. Comfortable as they are they do empty your pockets quite easily. I had to go back in and look for my truck keys on at least one occasion. But I am learning to let go of things more graciously and I know every thing seemingly lost is always replaced by something better by a loving infinite Universe. I ordered a brushed brass Zippo and proceeded to polish the brushed sides till it looks like the most expensive polished all around model. It is a replica of the 1943 version Zippo that my dad and many of your grandpas and now great grandpas carried in the last World War. Heaven knows I hope it was our last World War, it seems like the military industrial complex might have other plans.

The WWII men and women who served believed and many of us that they were fighting for truth, justice and the American way, just like Superman. I can still see my dad in his long handle underwear. My brother, mother, and I called it his Superman suit. Our dads and moms went through, carried, and endured the fire for us. That is why I carry a lighter (the brass one is my dress-lighter that I carry weekends, I have a black coated Zippo for work days) – to remind me that we all carry the fire and are keepers of the flame. Oh, yeah, I even have a large chrome functioning Zippo styled desk top lighter. Carrying fire is serious business, never play with fire.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

And fellow keeper of the flame,

David White