I was cleaning out my old jeep yesterday so I could have someone pick it up for scrap. As I was cleaning, I found two items. One was half a pack of cigarettes that had to have been there for over seven years, because I never bought any after my quit. I continued my cleaning and the next thing I found was a straw that had been chewed on both ends.
This blast from the past made smile for you see, I used those straws during my quit and here right before me were two powerful symbols of both my past life and the change I created for myself when I quit. And in case anyone’s wondering, the thought of smoking never ended my mind.
To me, that pack of cigarettes was simply trash that needed to be discarded. Sometimes it’s good to remember where the new life all started. One thing that came back to me was how hard I’d struggled at first, and yet the memory of those struggles had lost all power, just as my craves have. My memories were simply that. Memories of a different life that I no longer live.
There really is a kind of almost indescribable peace that we feel after we find our freedom. It’s a contentment that comes from knowing that my days are my own. They simply don’t belong to my addiction anymore and the energy that I now have to enjoy this new life is incredible!
There’s a freedom awaiting any who choose to walk the path of freedom that is just amazing! It’s right there waiting for you if you can just get on the path and keep looking to the future where you too will find this wondrous life that I and so many more are living!
Make that life of freedom your burning passion, stronger than any other thought and before long the dream becomes a reality!
For me, the choice was easy just as it presented itself to me yesterday. The cigarettes represented my addiction while the straws represented my road to freedom. Many years ago I chose the straw, or rather what it represented and you can too!!
Thing is, I lived the mantra that what I do today will determine how my future will look tomorrow. I reminded myself of that every morning as I prepared for the day. This gave me a decent perspective to work with throughout the day.
When I’d get a crave, I’d think of the future I was creating rather than what the crave wanted me to think about, I’d see myself climbing Mt’ Freedom every day, with that addict within right there with me so I could keep an eye on the sneaky creature. And each day, it would fade just a little more until I was left with nothing but a shadow that I catch a glimpse of every once in a while, just enough to remind me that freedom was the right choice.
My hope is that you can make the right choice as well!!
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Chuck
