~~It's not a crime not to know yourself. It's not a crime to send life away. It's just a shame.~~ Andrew O'Hagan
Sometimes when we first quit smoking, we have no idea who we are. How are we going to fill our time? How are we going to NOT be angry? How are we going to cope? A life without cigarettes? We tend to let go with regret and...almost...sorrow. It's all we know and for some....it's who they are.
Or so they think. It's not a crime to not know yourself. Truly it's not. But I can tell you that there is sheer joy in knowing who you are. And I can tell you that you are so much more than you ever thought you were!! Tied to cigarettes, smokers do not let themselves drift too far away from the next smoke. Any adventure is somewhat stifled by the need to stop and light up.
Without them, the true you can emerge. The you who is creative. The you who is compassionate. The you who wants to volunteer at a homeless shelter. The you who has always secretly dreamed of performing at your local theater. The you who longs for adventure.
You may doubt me. You may say you are 'too scared', 'too shy', 'too depressed'. You may feel like you simply want the comfort of your old routine. You think you were fine just that way.
Not as a smoker, my friend. You were never meant to be one. You were never meant to hide your brilliance behind a cloud of nicotine. Most of us knew we were risking illness and death even when we refused to think too hard about that. Most of us knew we were isolating ourselves from those we love most. "Protecting them" from second hand smoke meant so much time away from them. Maybe only 5 or 10 minutes at a time but doing that 20 or 40 times a day for years....well, you get the picture.
So a new you will be blossoming as you move through your quit. I hope you are curious about who you are becoming. I hope you are proud of that part of you that always wanted you to quit smoking. That part of you that never abandoned the hope that you would free yourself from your addiction.
And mostly, I hope that you will find out that really the sky is the limit! You have it in you to do anything you set your mind to. Truly you do! You are brave, resilient, strong, and persistent. As you allow those characteristics to stretch and grow, you will find there is so much more to life than you saw as a smoker. So much more to feel. So much more to do. And so very much more to be.
On your way, dear quitter. Life is waiting 
Sheri
