First of all, I want to wish all of you here on Ex a very joyous holiday. This site is a mixture of so many different types of individuals all with one goal in mind; to quit and stay quit from smoking. We each have our own stories from being medical professionals fighting this addiction to a person fighting to figure out where the next meal is coming from. The anonymity on this site is the appeal that it had for me to join. It wasn't canned theories from researchers. It wasn't quoting statistics. It was just a bunch of people doing the same thing.
I remember years and years ago when I was first married scraping up enough money to buy a carton of cigarettes every week. I remember selling things just to buy cigarettes. Those were the most important things to me. Back in the '70s it was just a habit. I remember being in a bar and having to buy a pack of cigarettes from those vending machines and it was $2.75 and then $5.00. Counting out those quarters, clink, clink, clink. Little did I know that habit was going to dictate to me where, when and how I was going to complete something.
Now, I realize that I have the control in this relationship with my addiction. I am the true warrior wielding my sword against its chains. I am the one who dictates where, when and how I'm doing something. The balance of power has been shifting. My tension is lessening. I've learned to be more patient now. Things will get done. I know when I was puffing away things never seemed to get done fast enough. Now that I don't do that anymore, I can see why. I spent most of my time stewing about things not getting done while wasting my time puffing away on a cigarette. Let that sink in.
So in closing, no matter where you are in your quit, slow down, take one day at a time. Instead of rushing life in front of you, look at life around you. Appreciate the little things in your life. Never take for granted anything, because in a blink of an eye it's gone. Find something each day to smile about, laugh about. Bring joy to your life every day because you, my friends, deserve it.
