In my youth a few of my girlfriends and I went through a ritual. Because we were best of friends we became "blood sisters." And that meant you had to prick your finger so that it bled, and then hold it against your "blood sister's" finger. A co-mingling of blood. Long before there was the word AIDS in our vocabulary. It was a proving ground. Do you love me enough? Are we going to go through whatever we have to go through together and share all our secrets on our journey through life? Are you gonna be there for me?
It was a badge of closeness and honor and commitment. And yeah, guts too. Because it took guts to prick your finger enough to make it bleed - with whatever implement you chose when you were - what 7 or 8 or.... Even now as an adult, how readily would you prick your finger to make a commitment of the like?
I have a very vague recollection of some tv show? about an Indian becoming blood brothers with a white man. Perhaps they took a big knife and slit a hefty chunk of their forearm and placed it against the other’s. I don’t know. I don’t know where the “blood sister” thing came from but I suspect from something not dissimilar.
Gee - I haven't thought about that in YEARS. But something I read here spurred that thought on a while back. I don’t know if others of you had this kind of ritual. If so I’d love to hear of it. Obviously it was more of a “girl” thing than a “guy” thing. But maybe you “guys” had a similar ritual. The “how many beers can you drink” or ...whatever. It was a rite of passage either way. And so is quitting.
What’s my point? My point is that you need to become a “blood sister” or “blood brother” with your quit.
Do you love yourself enough to make the commitment? Are you gonna be there for yourself through the trials to come. We’ll be here for you, for sure. But YOU need to be there for you. What will your badge of honor and commitment be to yourself? What is that best part of you that is here on this site because IT knows what you need, even though the least part of you fights it tooth and nail all along the way? Find that best part of you and bring it to the fore and when you do, CLING TO IT.
You need to become blood bothers and sisters with yourselves now. You need to be willing to bleed a little in that commitment. It’s a commitment that costs. Fact. Quitting costs. So does smoking. But the latter costs a whole lot more.
Are you listening?
