So … I’ve made it to the 6% club last week! A year behind me without smoking - hard to believe, haven’t made it that long for 40 years! This trail I’ve been on has many twists and turns and still continues to climb upward towards true freedom!
This blog needs to begin by referencing a blog The Two Sets Of Seasons. I've conquered the first two hurdles and now working on the third. Now that I’ve made it a year, the thoughts of smoking are certainly less than they’ve been, yet still there. Perhaps for some, at this point or even earlier, smoking is rarely thought of, but for me, the thought still comes at least several times a week.
Is this due to lack of commitment? 40+ years of smoking? Low self-esteem? Or many other reasons that may come to mind? I will freely admit that I probably would not have made it this far without a) my wife and b) this community.
My wife quit over 10 years ago and has been after me to quit for quite some time. Having gone this long, I cannot imagine telling her I relapsed and started smoking again. Nor can I imagine trying to hide it from her (I’m constantly surprised at the “closest” smokers who go through great lengths to hide their habit from others).
There is a lot to be said for two sets of seasons - this journey is mostly about dealing with situations, feelings, scenarios that one has always encountered and dealt with by smoking. The challenge being to learn how to do this without smoking. Yes, there is a physical addiction, but it is minuscule compared to the psychological aspect of smoking - it’s something we always did. To deal with EVERYTHING!
A large part of my quit was thinking about hiking and how smoking was interfering with that - how much I enjoy hiking and the thought that I cannot because I cannot breathe scares me!
This journey has been all about conquering the mountain, enduring the hike and coming out stronger!
So, here I am — one year behind me, though I’ve been lost in the woods many times thus far, I make my way back to the trail and plod forward. I look forward to the second year of dealing with situations as the new me, to continuing to climb up the mountain until I reach the day that smoking literally means absolutely NOTHING to me!!
To the many behind me - making it to one year is phenomenal!! YOU CAN DO IT!! Believe me, if I could … just keep on telling yourself (like I’ve told myself) - I didn’t come this far to only come this far!
Doug
