Good day everyone! Just stopping in to let you know that I’m really busy once again. My son purchased a modular home to move into, and when I went by to see how things were going, I discovered that the drywall work was being done by people who have no business doing drywall patches.
So, needless to say they’re gone now and I’m finishing it for free. Sad that he still has to pay them guys. I told him to chalk it up as a learning experience and be happy it won’t cose him anymore to correct.
When I started on this job, I thought back to my smoking days for some reason. The first thing I noticed was how much time I now save. In the old days, I’d have a cigarette hanging out of my mouth as I unloaded onto the porch. Then I’d put it out and pull everything inside (we’ve never smoked in the houses). Then I would have to step out for another cigarette.
After that, I’d usually work for about an hour before my addition demanded attention. Out I would go again, a slave to my own addicted mind. I realized that with all of the times I’d slipped out to feed my addiction, that I lost well over an hour for that day.
Just think of how much time we waste every day that we smoke! And as for the so called relaxation that smoking supposedly brings, I discovered that I’m much calmer now that I’m free of the old ball and chain.
Something else I noticed is that I don’t get winded as easily, even though I have a mild case of COPD. Also, I’m much more aware of the task at hand. It’s amazing how much an addiction can distract us, as we plan the next feeding session for our addicted minds, never realizing that the thought of the next cigarette is always in the back of the mind.
And the feeling of overall well being is just an amazing feeling to have all of the time.
So the next time you think that nothing good is happening when you quit smoking, take a moment to see how much more time you have. Sure, we’re never calm at first but the important thing when quitting is to focus on all of the positive things that your doing, rather than focusing on what we perceive as a loss.
If we can keep our minds focused on the good that’s happening with every moment of our quits, then it becomes harder for the addiction to sway us. Even as we live through the endless argument that the mind creates, we can focus on the positive side of that argument and eventually the part of our minds that wants to quit will come to the forefront.
After the first few days, the war is no longer with the physical aspect of a quit. After a few days, the war is fought inside of our own minds. We have to one by one tear the tentacles of addiction from ourselves, casting them away in anticipation of a brighter future. We have to give strength to the part of our minds that knows what is right, and find ways to ignore the addict within that we all must face.
The main thing to remember is that it gets easier every day, even if it’s hard to notice at first, but over time and with a little commitment, the addicted part of our minds are overwhelmed by the part of our minds that knows what’s right.
And it never comes like a thunderclap but one day you wake up and realize that you’re free! That all of the anguish is now in the past. Nothing but a memory of a time in our past that seemed hard at the time, but became the blooming flower of a successful quit.
Believe in yourself and one day you’ll be free. One day you’ll be at peace. One day you’ll look back and realize that if you hadn’t put out that last cigarette. If you hadn’t stayed on the path to freedom, then you wouldn’t be experiencing the wonders of freedom now. I look forward to hearing of your own freedom, because what I’m feeling right now, as a recovered addict is nothing short of amazing, and I love it every time another finds the peace that awaits them!
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Chuck
