If you are one who tends to follow me, you may have noted that I am not recently posting as often as I had been for the prior 16 months.
I'm writing to assure you that I am still maintaining my quit, continue to pledge every day, will be continuing the weekly Trivia games, and will be choosing a day each week to concentrate on responding to posts.
Of late, I've found myself pouring time into other activities which have included much-needed spring cleaning plus an increased focus on family genealogy work.
In addition to that, two changes in my life will be eating up even more of my time.
For starters, as other hard-core smokers like myself are aware, smoking causes problems with your teeth and gums. As a heavy smoker for more than 60 years I have actively treated my periodontal disease for at least the past 20 years. Regardless of my steadfast attempts, I have reached the point where most of my remaining teeth need to be removed.
This Thursday the 15th, my dentist will be extracting those teeth. Over an undetermined amount of time, I will be receiving a full upper plate and a bottom partial. It will be a gradual process and I have no idea what my physical response to all of this will be.
On a much brighter side, once the dental work is completed and I am feeling better, I will be treating myself to an online writing course. The ending to this complex study will be the completion of my first novel. Understandably, this will be a long-term project which will demand a lot of my time: I am stoked! (I have been working on the novel's outline for more than a year.)
However, my main focus will remain my ongoing freedom from smoking and my deep appreciation to all of you for your remarkable work in supporting and encouraging me throughout my quit. Please understand that I am not saying goodbye; I just will not be seeing you as often for a while.
