Smoking with Friends and a Crowded Head

I indulge in two types of smoking experiences: with friends and alone. When I sit down alone with a cigar it's usually because I have never smoked that cigar in the past and really want to concentrate on the experience. Sometimes, I just don't feel like socializing and want to sit with a book, a magazine or at my fly tying vise and just enjoy a stick. Funny, I have had my best cigar experiences alone sitting on my patio, which I attribute to the lack of distracts while smoking. Alone, I am free to concentrate on how a cigar develops as smokes and pick up on the more subtle flavors that linger on the palate. For some reason with friends a lot of these flavors go unnoticed. Maybe, I just cant multi-task.
Unless, I remove my self from all distraction while rating a new stick I usually have a lower enjoyment level while smoking. For example, while having a cigar yesterday evening I decided to cognitively thing about all the things that were running through my head, other than the cigar I was smoking. I was thinking, (in no particular order), did i pay the bills? What time is it? The wind may have shifted, should I fish tonight? The pool needs chlorine, do I have enough bonefish flies tied? etc, etc. I find it amazing that I actually have to "try" to focus on a cigar, that my mind does not allow me to just enjoy the moment and focus on thing else. I also find that at about the half way point of the cigar, I actually DO relax. My mind thinks less, wonders less and slows down to a "in the moment" pace.
The other type of smoking I do is with friends. For example, last weekend I attended a party at friends house. Bruce has a habit of throwing these well stocked party that usually end up with everyone around a camp fire enjoying a cigar. This is the type of casual smoking I prefer. I enjoy discussing cigars while smoking a cigar. It enhances the experience for me. Although, deep conversations can be distracting from a cigar, sometimes it helps me focus. My mind concentrates on what people are discussing rather than the endless spin of wonders that I get lost in. There is something about 5 to 6 people sitting around with a stick burning and the smoke filled room or area that just smells wonderful. All that rich tobacco being burned together smells, at least for me, just as good as home backed cookies.
SO try this, next time you sit alone to have a stick be aware if your mind starts to wonder or if you have the ability just focus on the cigar. If your min does wonder, at what point in the cigar do you actually begin to relax and focus on the cigar. After all, cigars are about relaxation and enjoyment, so ask yourself-am i really relaxing? Also, If you don't smoke with friends-try it. I have made more friends and got to know more great people through the enjoyment of the leaf.