It took me a while, but you can’t say I didn’t anticipate it. There have been the early signs:

I bought my first box of cigars. This single act, according to my daughter and SIL pushed me over the line.
I smoked the first one this evening.
I got a free sample cigar last summer so I gave it a go. Free, I could always chuck it, no harm no foul.
It was nice. So Mushy gave me his cigar connection and I used it. Or it may have been one of his buds, I can’t remember which.

There is a ritual with cigars.

A ritual far superior to cigarettes (which I smoked in college.) With cigarettes, one pounds the cigs to firmly packy the tabacky. Since I smoked Winstons in a box, I learned to bounce the package so that just a couple cancer sticks popped up. Lifting the box to my mouth, I would grab one with my lips, flip closed the top and replace it in my shirt pocket.
That is a one hand operation, BTW.
Then the lighting ritual. Zippo in hand, quickly downward against leg, to flip open top, upward to move striker to make flame. Light up then slapping the top shut to bring maximum attention to one’s self.
No friggin’ flickin’ Bics back then. If you smoked you had a Zippo. I was a preppy in college. Mine had initials engraved in the case.

Cigar ritual:
First, there is the humidor. I had my first cigar right from the box, because the eBay auction isn’t over with yet. I don’t own a humidor, but will in 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes. It is a “rich rose wood exterior with cedar wood interior… the humidor is meticulously made and has gold plated hidden quadrant hinges, felt bottom and holds twenty cigars.” It also has a hygrometer so I can keep the humidity at the proper level.

So I will go to my Rich Rose Wood Humidor and choose a LaDiferencia Cubana from the Dominican Republic. It will not have cellophane around it because I will have removed it so that it will age properly in the cedar wood interior.

Second, I will then carry it outdoors to light it. Since I’m a man, I will bite the end of the cigar just where the curve starts to meet the shoulder. Ptooey, I spit the little chunk of tobacco at the nearest dog.

I remove the paper band. I REMOVE THE PAPER BAND, so just shut up.

Third, to light the cigar, one must hold it above the flame (my barbeque lighter works great) and rotate the end of the cigar to get the embers glowing.

Fourth, keeping the cigar away from the flame, one draws the flame to the cigar, all the time rotating it to get an even burn.

Stogey delight.

It’s 72 degrees, sunny, Nancy has freshly mowed the grass, a couple dogs at my side, just enough birds chirping to mask my tinnitus and I gots me a see-gar making just a fine ash of myself.

No wonder Fidel lived such a long happy life. Wonder where I can get some brown fatigues? I surf the web, watch the tree rats, watch airplanes, admire the lovely ash on my fine cigar.

Then, to keep piece in the family, I have to come in thru the back door, remove all my clothes and put them in the washer, take a shower, and brush my teeth a full two minutes.