Happy Day!

[pipster540]

So, I’ve been tobacco free a year today.  Wow.  My longest quit ever.  I don’t remember why I picked Dec. 20^th as my quit date.  Five days before Christmas.  That’s insane, some would say…Christmas Ruckus is very stressful, bad time to quit, wait til after the holidays…blah blah blah. 

NOPE.  I had followed all the suggestions of this site, was following a couple of the crazy old-timer’s and was doing what I was told.  I was ready to quit…I was sick of smoking…it was eating away at my very soul. 

For the first three days, I just hung onto my laptop, this site and avoided everyone.  My spouse was out of town…perfect timing.  The stars, the moon, the NRT, the Acu…my prep work, my tracking, my delaying….it was all coming together perfectly….just not painlessly.  : )

The New Year came…I was early into my quit and just found all the new year quitters annoying…LOL…I had something like 10 days under my belt and I was passing judgment! On EVERYONE. Imagine that…And I really couldn’t be much help at that point, except to try to make ‘em laugh.  Laughter is an essential ingredient in this deal folks.  Laugh, it keeps the tears back.  This year, I pray that I may be genuinely useful to the newbie.  And if I do find them annoying, well, I just know I don’t have to smoke over it.

At about 80 days I entered No man’s land.  I wandered around that dismal place until about day 116.  I came through it, but only because I absolutely would not take one puff…NOPE. 

Spring and summer of my first year was just lovely, but I still wasn’t ready to run a marathon.  In fact, physically I was feeling pretty lousy.  I had put on a bunch of weight and was getting little or no exercise.  I had told myself I wouldn’t worry about the weight the first six months of my quit.  And I didn’t.  I put on a bunch of it.  But I didn’t care, I knew the weight could wait, breathing could not.

So in July, my focus shifted from my battle against smoking to my battle against the weight.  I am happy to report I have lost nearly 30lbs and feel the best I have in forever and a day.  In fact, I think I’m looking pretty hot…LOL…and I smell pretty too….LOL...and smoke free sex is incredibly awesome…but that’s another blog for another day….probably password protected.

So where am I today?  I am an EXsmoker.  I am a quitter. I know I am one puff from a pack or more a day.  I don’t light up, cause I don’t do that anymore.  My career allows me to try to help others.  If I was still smoking, I couldn’t do what I do today.  I have more career choices now that I’ve quit smoking.  My practice style and my clinic’s goals have changed since I’ve quit.  And staying quit is essential.  I know that what I’m building now, and what I’m dreaming about now… will all go away if I light up.  Poof…gone with just one puff…so I don’t. 

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Today I am blessed.  For I am free….and by the Grace of God and continued due diligence…I can remain that way….

May you be blessed too.

The Pipster.