a few weeks ago, i found myself in the position of trying to explain my newfound interest in traditional wet shaving to a friend of mine. he's a thoroughly modern fellow and he uses modern shaving tools because, well...it's what modern guys do.



as i described the process to him, the paraphernalia, the pleasure, the advantages....one item provoked the strongest reaction. he was dismayed and appalled that i took 20 minutes to shave in the morning and that's really when it hit me. when you look at the rise of technology and the death of manly rituals, inevitably the clock is to blame. we have sacrificed a whole host of pleasures on the altar of time and we are ultimately the poorer for it.



the pipe gives way to the cigarette. the ocean liner gives way to the airplane. the restaurant becomes the drive-through and the conversation becomes the text message...and all because we, as men, continue to believe that if we could just save a bit more time in our day we'd be able to really get to the things we wanted to do. ironically, in the pursuit of having enough time to do what we want we are forced to dilute or discard the very things we wanted in the first place...and so our vitality dwindles away with every tick of the relentless clock.



perhaps that is why in some sense we're all here at B&B. we want to recapture a forgotten pleasure. we want to revel in the luxury of choosing what we do with our morning routine and most of all, we want to remember the simple joy of not taking the quickest or most expedient road, but the sweet meandering path of our own curiosity.



this weekend as i was rushing through a morning shave i thought about all of this. i took a breath, and remembered that there was nothing on the agenda that couldn't wait just a few minutes more. in the moment of that realization, i became once again the master of the clock instead of its servant and my little daily ritual took on an added sweetness that hadn't been there just a moment before.



i wish for everyone here a similar moment of timeless indulgence. in the day to day flow of obligation and expectation, i encourage you to find a moment to ignore the demands of the clock and take pleasure in this mutual interest we all share. gentlemen, i wish for you all a truly excellent shave.