Suspect I may be over thinking things

[Fumus]

So, here I am nine months into my pipe smoking adventure and while I'm still enjoying it immensely, I definitely do not feel as though I have "arrived".  By "arrived" I mean gotten to that point where the actions involved are almost automatic and without a lot of conscious thought.  Kinda like when I was a kid just learning to drive a manual transmission. "OK, time to shift..ease up on the throttle, clutch peddle to the floor..shift, now let up on clutch while pressing down on the gas...OK good. Didn't kill it"  Eventually of course it all became second nature to the point that now I have to stop and think about it when my kids ask "how do you do that".  And that's what I'm looking for in my pipe smoking, so that I spend less time focusing on the various actions and more time focusing on the nuances of the tobacco, contemplating the mysteries of the universe, or wondering what the kids did with the cat and what's for dinner.  Having watched the video clip posted by Mr. Burley on the 12th of this month in the "Round Table", I noticed that none of those pipe smokers seemed to give much thought to loading their pipe just so or making sure they lit it properly and had just the right smoking cadence. Nope. They just scooped some tobacco into their pipes, tamped it down a bit and then lit it and got on with what ever they were doing.  No muss no fuss, I like that.  So that's the approach I'm gonna take, and then just keep on smoking cause honestly, repetition was the key to learning to drive my old 1960 Chevy pickup.   :afro:

 

[MisterE]

I noticed that none of those pipe smokers seemed to give much thought to loading their pipe just so or making sure they lit it properly and had just the right smoking cadence. Nope. They just scooped some tobacco into their pipes, tamped it down a bit and then lit it and got on with what ever they were doing.  No muss no fuss, I like that.  So that's the approach I'm gonna take, and then just keep on smoking cause honestly, repetition was the key to learning to drive my old 1960 Chevy pickup.   :afro:

:cheers:

 

[d4klutz]

fumus, That is basically what I do. The only things I check when loading my pipe are 1) moisture content of the baccy, and 2) free air draw through the loaded pipe. I have found that if I get those two right, that the smoke us much more enjoyable. I don't pay attention to how it is packed in the bowl. LOL.

 

[R. M. Perkins]

I think I went through a similar experience back when I first started smoking a pipe. I was actually counting the seconds between puffs and trying to time them perfectly.

But after awhile I stopped thinking about it, and that was when the pipe and I "became one".

 

[Dutch]

Fumus, like they say, the more time and effort you invest, the more rewarding an endeavor. I remember some aspects of my pipe smoking were still improving around the 2nd year. Heck, at any time a smoker may pick up a tip or trick that can improve their overall experience.

It can take several years to gain the ability to prepare any type tobacco properly, load it into the appropriate pipe, smoke it with minimal tongue bite while keeping it lit, and do so without doing any damage whatsoever to the pipe being smoked.

I think that when you can do all these things, while multi tasking other activities in the room, you have started to move in the direction of mastering the art of pipe smoking. When you can do it without very much thinking about the process, you will know you are finally getting there.

 

[KevinM]

I think most pipers who've been at it awhile have personal rituals related to their hobby. It's evolution. At one point, years ago, I stopped smoking while doing something else -- yard work, cleaning the garage, etc. Now, when I'm smoking my pipe, it's almost always outdoors and smoking is my primary activity at the time. (Watching the tide come in or the stars come out is secondary..) As a result of this change, I've become much more conscious of my breathing pattern while smoking. Also, I now tend to favor smaller bowls. And I'd now describe my purpose as relaxation. But I wouldn't argue that my preferences are the Correct Way and that more casual smokers are doing something wrong. It's just the direction I went in over the years without much thinking about it.