I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I simply can't get over how good it feels to be a non-smoker. Several women at work were applauding my quit today, and they said it must be so hard, and I said actually, i am a very happy quitter. They were amazed. Allen Carr is right when he says that our culture has brainwashed all of us -- smokers and non-smokers -- to believe that quitting is the hardest thing we'll ever do. It certainly can be, but I think when we're ready and we educate ourselves and foster acceptance and a positive attitude, it is so doable.
I have experienced discomfort -- and on a couple of occasions I would say extreme discomfort -- during this quit. And I do not minimize what others experience in their quits. But for me this experience has been one of focusing on the positive ever since the very beginning. There are so many benefits of being a non-smoker, and if we focus on the difficulty then we're going to experience our quit as difficult. I've realized that the few moments of discomfort I feel are a small price to pay for this freedom. I don't even feel those moments of discomfort much any more, but when I do I completely understand that it's manageable, and that it's the cost of the years I spent smoking. I don't want to smoke and I do not feel deprived, so if those moments come, they come -- and go.
So now we have a lovely three-day weekend (those of us who are still working) and I love a Friday night with a three-day weekend stretching in front of me. I'm going to my grandson's 6th birthday party tomorrow and the rest of the weekend will be wonderful rest and relaxation.
I wish you all a marvelous, smoke free Memorial Day Weekend. And in the meantime, love to all of you and I wish you pleasant dreams.
