Share your quitting journey
I just looked at my own blogs to see how long it's been since I last posted. It's been TWELVE days! I don't think I've ever gone that long without writing a blog here. Hello, does anyone even remember me anymore?? 😉
I knew this was going to be a tough month, though. I have exactly THREE days off during this entire month. Flying that much does killer things to your body and your brain. Some days I have as little as 10 hours off between trips. So I am telling the truth when I say that I am half-dead in Salt Lake City! A few more hours of rest here, then work to LAX and work the red-eye back to DC, arriving at 6:20am. I hope I live long enough to get to our Vegas get-together next month!
I've talked here before about how, when I was a smoker, I had favorite layover cities. At least, I THOUGHT they were my favorites. After I quit, I realized that I loved certain layovers on the basis of how easy it was to smoke at the hotels. Hotels with balconies? The BEST! Hotels with comfortable sheltered smoking areas? GREAT! Hotels with ashtrays by the pools? EXCELLENT! I'm chagrined to think that I ranked my enjoyment of certain layovers because of how easily they accomodated my addiction. Sheesh.
I'm talking about this because our layover hotel in Salt Lake City was one of those old favorites of mine. Balconies!!!! And never mind those little stickers on the sliding glass doors that said "No smoking on balcony". Heck, I'd take a paper coffee cup with water in it (my "ashtray") and stand out on the balcony for hours, smoking my guts out. The really stupid part? I'd tell myself that it was good for me to do this because of all the FRESH AIR I was getting, since my job keeps me stuck in closed-up airplanes and airports all the time. (A quick aside: you do NOT want to know the results of studies done on the quality of recirculated air in airplanes.)
Yes, the first time I stayed at this hotel in Salt Lake City after I quit was a real challenge. But this time was different. I woke up this morning and went to pull back the curtains for a view of the gorgeous snow-capped mountains and...wait! This hotel has balconies!!! I hadn't even thought about that fact once since I arrived late last night. Boy, did that feel wonderful? You bet it did. I love being an ex-smoker. Love it. I never dreamed I'd love my new normal so very much. Staying strong at 208 days!
Stick with it, everyone. It may seem near-impossible in the beginning. But the rewards are SO worth it.
xxxooo, Sky
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