I know I haven’t been here much, and I miss it but I also need to do what is best for my wonderful quit. But I am here a little today. I see some new people on the swings and in the sand box. Of course the veterans are here helping them avoid the nicotine bullies. A few people in No Man’s land are here, but I am a bit worried about a few. As I am sure they are about me.
As I look around the playground, to see the all the wonderful kids, all having fun without nicotine, swinging, and sliding, and running and jumping and just having a blast, I am struck with the fact that there are three basic groups here. Some may see more, but 3 makes sense to me.
The first group is the young kids, the people brand new to the quit. They are getting to know the playground, and are still kind of unsure. They may be afraid to swing too high, or of spinning too fast on the merry go round. Someone is always at their side, because you have to be with little ones. They grow a lot in their first 30 days.
Then comes the adolescents of the playground. They may not be seen as much as the kids, but they still are here. Like true adolescents, those who are in the teens of their quit have a whole lot to deal with. All the stuff they learned in their first 30 days is still there, but as they change, the rules seem to change too. Suddenly the nicotine bully who was not so tough knocks you on your butt. Hard! As adolescents in our quit, we act like we know it all, and sometimes we believe we do, then something new comes along and wow, we don’t know squat. For some of us this lasts through 4 months, some longer, some not as long. Personally I have always been a late bloomer. I didn’t hit puberty until I was 27.
But that is why the third group is here at the playground. Those are the young adults in their quit. They still run around and play with all of us, but they are also a bit more secure, and better able to help both the kids and the teens. They let us know about the playground, fill us in on what may be coming up, and just help every one as best they can. But they never grow beyond young adult. They are always young and active on the playground. They also are never completely secure in their quit. They know that addiction is always there, and the bully can take anyone down who is not strong in their quit.
And so we are all here on the playground together, working together, playing together, having fun together. Oh, and we always have Mark mowing the lawns and keeping up on the park’s maintenance. It works for me.
