How I gave up smoking and why I took it up again

NOTE: I had been smoking cigars for only a very short time when I wrote this. It's still one of my favorite things I've written about the hobby.


I gave up smoking the summer between first and second grades. One of the neighbor kids pilfered a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches from her parents' stash and several of us gave them a try. It took a few attempts to overcome the challenge of lighting a paper match. None of us had ever actually done it, but we had all seen our parents and other adults applying the head of the match to the scratchy part of the cover. So, eventually we got the hang of it, and went to work applying our newly-created flames to the ends of a few cigarettes. Naturally it took a few matches to actually get the little white cylinders burning.

I drew a tentative breath through my specimen. It tasted awful. Thinking maybe quality and quantity were directly proportionate, I inhaled for all I was worth. If I had known the names of my internal organs, I would have tried to identify each of them as I coughed them past my lips. I decided on the spot that the only thing worse than secondhand cigarette smoke was firsthand cigarette smoke.

Fast forward forty-plus years. I still hate the sharp, ugly smell of fresh cigarette smoke, almost as much as I detest the musty staleness of leftover cigarette smoke. I have no desire to ever try another one. But something about cigar-smoking has caught my attention. It seems like such a civilized way to spend some relaxing time. After much research, I decide to take the plunge ...

It's late spring and I'm sitting on my patio under the lacy overhang of a shady green tree. A glass of wonderfully-red-colored Cabernet Sauvignon sparkles on the table. My beautiful wife of thirty-one years sits across from me. The splashing of the waterfall in the koi pond sets the peaceful mood perfectly. A breeze stirs the air, rustles the leaves, sets flowers dancing all around the yard. It also blows out the match with which I'm trying to light my Macanudo Hampton Court. I break out the butane lighter. Not one made for cigars, but a butane lighter nonetheless.

I have already cut the head of the cigar. Holding it head-up on a cutting board, I just barely allowed the edge of a sharp knife to touch the cap as I rotated the cigar. The result was a clean cut, and I am proud of myself.

Now I hold the cigar to the lighter's flame, closer than I should, but I have to get the cigar lit. I take a few quick puffs, trying successfully to avoid any taste of the first, overheated smoke. For the better part of the next hour I puff my cigar, sip my wine, visit with my wife, and enjoy my lovely, peaceful retreat of a yard. At one point a swallow of wine and a breath of smoke combine in my mouth in a synergistic way that elevates both flavors to a place neither could reach on its own. My wife enjoys the occasional light whiff of cigar smoke she gets while sitting upwind of my position.

And I realize that I have found something of immense value. This cigar, although it delivered far too little flavor to suit me, brought the pace of my overly-busy life to a much-needed crawl. Perhaps I'm rationalizing, but it seems that the health risks of one or two cigars a week may largely be overcome by the benefits of relaxing and unwinding for the length of time it takes to smoke them. At any rate, for me, the mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits are worth the officially-undetermined risks of occasional cigar-puffing.

Later cigars I cut with a tool made for that purpose, and lit with a torch lighter. They delivered a stronger flavor, more to my liking. I bought them at a better price, after doing more shopping and research. But, no matter their flavor or price-level, and regardless of the equipment used to enjoy them, the greatest joy they bring is in the need to slow down and enjoy them. Future cigars may emerge proudly from my own humidor, perhaps even one I have made with my own hands. And they, like their predecessors, will slow down every minute spent smoking them.

That is why I took up smoking again, after these many years - a cigar, for me, is a "life-timer" that forces me to slow way, way down, and teaches me to enjoy a snail's pace. -- June 28, 2010

A wonderful read! Here in liberal California you're taught at an early age that guns are for insane criminals, and smoking is for agents of Death himself.

Well, I discovered quickly on not to share with my friends about my newfound love of firearms, and I'll likely keep it on the down low that I started smoking.

I also found gun owners to be remarkably friendly, down-to-earth folks that shared my views on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It was also remarkable how many of my friends had never bothered to do any research on their own and just swallowed the liberal media's KoolAid about guns.

The same holds true of cigars. The National Cancer Institute found that smoking cigars at a rate of five a day or less yielded an increased mortality risk of 2% over the next twelve years VS those that had never smoked.

Mike, I also marvelled that an always connected guy like me could stop, put down all of the electronic devices and spend an hour just enjoying a cigar. It was really something, because normally I *always* have my nose buried in my tablet or smartphone.

Finally, in conclusion, I'd like to share a conversation I had with my eight year old daughter (who has taken it upon herself to be daddy's chief nutritionist):

Me: Sweetie, I've noticed that you seem really cool about my new cigar hobby. (she's the one who comes in and monitors how many cans of soda daddy is drinking per week, for example)

Her: Well once you told me that you don't inhale, I was okay with it.

:)

That was a good read, thanks.

On the health effects, my doctor says smoking a cigar not inhaled is like smoking one cigarette inhaled. As a former, 30-year, pack-a-day smoker, I think he's stretching it a bit to get it that far, but I can live with that.

This has always been an excellent post. Thanks for sharing it here, Mike!

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Originally Posted by Zeede

A wonderful read! Here in liberal California you're taught at an early age that guns are for insane criminals, and smoking is for agents of Death himself.

Well, I discovered quickly on not to share with my friends about my newfound love of firearms, and I'll likely keep it on the down low that I started smoking.
...
:)

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That reminds me of an artist friend of mine who's very left-wing politically but also a major gun nut. The Mrs. and I were over at his house for a Christmas party with a lot of his and his wife's artist/musician friends. As I was one of his range buddies, he calls me down to his basement to show off his firearms collection. "Don't tell anyone upstairs about this," he says, "there are some people up there who would be very upset about this." OK, mum's the word :)

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Originally Posted by Sir Lancerolot

...a cigar, for me, is a "life-timer" that forces me to slow way, way down, and teaches me to enjoy a snail's pace.

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This. . Down time is important for me and it allows my brain to work out things without me actively thinking.

I read an instructional on meditation once and gave it a try. When I finished the first thing that came to mind, how was that any different than concentrating on the smoke while smoking a cigar?

Maybe I didn't master meditation, and sometimes I do like to brainstorm while smoking, but I also find that sessions spent focusing on the flavor, temperature, draw, breathing, and experience is very similar to meditation.

This is an amazing post Sir Lancelot! Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by herman

I read an instructional on meditation once and gave it a try. When I finished the first thing that came to mind, how was that any different than concentrating on the smoke while smoking a cigar?

Maybe I didn't master meditation, and sometimes I do like to brainstorm while smoking, but I also find that sessions spent focusing on the flavor, temperature, draw, breathing, and experience is very similar to meditation.

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I can really relate to this. I've done meditation before and I did find it relaxing. I can certainly parallel this with cigar smoking. One thing that happens with the right circumstances is time actually stops for me with a good smoke. It's so relaxing where literally nothing else in the world matters. Not the mortgage, not the medical bills, not the stress at work; those are all the furthest thing from the experience and I've yet to find any other hobby that can duplicate that.

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Originally Posted by NWSmoke

It's so relaxing where literally nothing else in the world matters. Not the mortgage, not the medical bills, not the stress at work; those are all the furthest thing from the experience and I've yet to find any other hobby that can duplicate that.

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When I used to shoot clays weekly it was like that for me. When you focus and get ready to call pull, nothing else exists in the world except you, your shotgun and the little orange disc about to fly out.

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Originally Posted by Zeede

When I used to shoot clays weekly it was like that for me. When you focus and get ready to call pull, nothing else exists in the world except you, your shotgun and the little orange disc about to fly out.

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Totally understand. The closest I've found to a cigar is baking; just working with the dough was truly enjoyable. Just different than a cigar, but still a certain level of serenity. I no longer bake unfortunately but the parallel isn't lost.

Love it, thanks Mike.

There are a thousand studies which correlate happiness and longevity, so that's why I'm pretty sure cigars are actually going to help me live longer than if I didn't smoke at all.

That is beautifully written, thank you so much for sharing it with us Mike!