Commandment #2: Blow the Smoke Up in the Air (Out of Courtesy)

Your thought process may be heading in a couple of different directions. This commandment has a literal and a figurative meaning. I will share with you a short anecdote that will explain this second commandment.

It was a warm summer night when I was at my high school friend's house. The scene takes place in the backyard with a fire going and adults drinking high end beers and shooting the breeze. A friend of the parents, we'll call Bill proceeded to light a cigar. Bill had that classic country club look; 6 feet 1, handsome, athletic, suave, full head of hair middle aged man. What Bill did next was something that is ingrained in my head to this day. He took a puff and blew the smoke up in the air. With no explanation, I immediately knew why he did it. He was being courteous of the others around him who he assumed would be greatly offended by smelling his second hand smoke. As time passed, I also observed Bill's demeanor. He was smoking his cigar and didn't pay much attention to the crowd around him. You may take this as he was an arrogant guy who didn't pay the respect of his friends, but the manner in which he did this screamed "I am relaxing and enjoying myself in my own world.

One should always be courteous of those around him and blow the smoke up in the air. There are times when you need to block out the crowd and do your own thing. Maybe someone pissed you off and instead of making a big deal out of it you just need to blow the smoke up in the air.