Thinking about warnings from the Wise Ones about seasonal changes which may be unexpected triggers for the first couple of years or so.
I quit on 27 February – hottest month of summer here until mid-March which is when autumn supposedly starts….but it never does. We have no autumn. March continues to be hot, humid and only bearable in the pool.
We don’t have your gorgeous colour changes in nature. Mid to end-April the temperatures drop from 36degrees down to anything between 0 to 15 degrees, depending what part of the country you’re in. And the leaves just turn brown and fall off the trees. Up here it’s sunny in the daytime but freezing, electric blanket cold at night. In the Cape it rains right throughout winter – I know for sure; lived there for 10 brilliant years. The Free State in the centre of the country can only be called arctic.
So by August everyone’s had enough of winter and JUST when you start grumbling, up climb the temps slowly for a couple of weeks and BAM! Summer’s back from mid-September to end April. The only way we recognise spring, is when we smell Jasmine – but that also only lasts a couple of weeks. Ain’t Africa grand!?
So, although I’ve been quit only 7 months, I’ve lived through supposedly 4 season changes and more importantly my quit has survived 4 seasons.
Tonight…yay!... the first thunderstorms of summer! It’s such an exciting feeling when you see the first lightning and the thunder starts rolling in from Johannesburg’s side. After the storm tonight we’ve had steady rain falling for a couple of hours. Now the lightning and thunder moves on up the country, leaving behind the fresh-smelling breeze wafting through the doors and windows. Magic. Summer’s back! And I'm smoke free!
I’m so lucky the seasons flashed by without having any effect on my quit. But Christmas AND New Year are 3 months away but really, the way time flies by, just around the corner and this is going to be my first really big test. Friends, family, entertaining, being entertained, food, drink, music, pool parties – oh I’m going to have to be so vigilant and protective of my quit.
I’m going to revisit my toolkit and re-read all bookmarked blogs – and just read and plan ahead to be ready for the smoky onslaught. (Might even make it to the end of A Carr’s book, finally!)
A LOT of our friends and some of my family are regular life-long smokers. Everyone knows I’ve quit and wouldn’t offer me any – but the packs lie around unattended on tables and I KNOW those crappy little sticks still know my name.
Me thinks I should make like a newbie and prepare again the way I did in Feb. Cut those straws, buy some gum, read, read, read. Now is not the time to be complacent.
Who’s joining me to prepare and strengthen ourselves and our quits through the coming holidays?!!
