Sirius

Here in the U.S. we have a sizable minority that belief vaccines are [insert conspiracy theory here], and won't have anything to do with them. Personally, I hold that getting vaccinated is a civic duty and a benchmark of average intelligence. Seems a lot of folks won't believe there is an pandemic unless they have to step over bodies in the street. My thanks to all those who took the time to get immunized.

I was Pfizer'd. Second dose back on the 26th had me feeling...weird. No overt symptoms, but not quite right either. Kinda like the The UK Roundabout Appreciation Society or the Dill Pickle club. Wife got Maderna'd. She got her first dose not too long ago. While waiting in the observation area we had somebody pass out. That sparked some excitement. Only thing my better half experienced was a painful arm which lingered into the next day.

A bit of unsolicited advice that sometimes helped in my situation. Walking. Get out and stretch the legs. Get the blood pumping and focus on movement and breathing. Watch for traffic and immerse into the here and now. After fifteen minutes increase the pace. When you tire, slow it down a notch, and circle on back home. Take in the sights, and sounds. It's spring, things are greening, flowers blooming, traffic flowing, rain falling, and you're a part of it all. Your breathing is rhythmic and natural. You're alive and it's good to be living.

Hopin' you're well.

Ten years from now you'll put on a jacket and find a mask in the pocket. "Oh man, what a weird year that was," you'll chuckle to yourself. Then you'll pick up your machete and continue across the wasteland, keeping to the shadows to avoid the roving gangs of cannibal raiders.

Had the exact same thing happen to me. Dreams, followed by waking and wondering what I'd done. Very confusing. It takes a long time for the subconscious to get on board with what we consciously decide to do. Perhaps these dreams are the last vestiges of our identities as smokers? For me, they started several months after quitting and slowly became less frequent; not that they happened all that often.

I think I still have my whiskey jar half full of water and packed with cigarette buts somewhere in my garage. There were a few times I would unscrew the lid and take a big whiff to remind me of what I was missing. I...haven't felt the need of such reminders in quite a while.

We like you. Please have a cookie!

The problem with quitting is that its a passive process. The only thing we do, is, refrain. Its not an activity so much as a decision. When we first start this journey of abstinence, our brain and body ask us to smoke, to receive, the nicotine we've come to expect. So the decision not to smoke has to be made again and again. Maybe a hundred or more times a day during the first weeks. That's why it so important to stay engaged in activities, preferably social activities with non-smokers. If your doing something that occupies your attention, the frequency in which you have to reinforce your decision not to smoke, is also reduced. Avoid boredom and idleness. The moments you have to yourself are the moments you have to deal with yourself. After a few days of successful abstinence we start to acquire the tools that reinforce our decision. We realize that it CAN be done. That we ARE starting to feel a bit better. That we don't want to throw away the progress we've made. Stay clean long enough and we discover that abstinence and denial are not the punishment we have been enduring but the reward we sought. Stay strong.

A week into the new year and the capital building in the U.S. was sacked. I may need an even larger bowl of popcorn for 2021.

4. https://totalsororitymove.com/that-time-i-used-saran-wrap-instead-of-a-condom/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdoTdG_VNV4

Nothing gold about Marlboro. You know what's gold? Freedom. Freedom from pains and diseases that are the eventual endpoint of a lifetime of smoking. I know it, you know it, and that's why we quit in the first place. Don't let the momentary cravings of an addiction undo all your efforts towards a healthy and longer future. You know what I like? Walking into an airport or other smoke-free establishment and being unconcerned about when I can have a smoke. Because I don't need that crap anymore. Soon enough you will be saying the same thing with a smile. Visualize your success and how good it feels.

I'm addicted to eating Thanksgiving leftovers. I just can't quit cold turkey!

>>disregard<<

It's either a short lifetime with the cigs or a longer time with your friends and family. Decisions, decisions...

Well done Happy Quitter, If God Had Intended Man To Smoke, He Would Have Set Him On Fire.