Boo

She wasn't early, but she didn't waste any time either. June 22 was at the front end of our "expectancy window." We arrived at the hospital just before midnight on Sunday and by 6:00 a.m. on Monday our little bundle of joy was here. The world is brand new to Maddie. She has a lot to see and do.

"Eight Men Out" was the movie about the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal. "42" was a biographical movie about Jackie Robinson. I watched them film certain parts of that movie in Chattanooga. They came in and remade the old Engel Stadium to look like Ebbets Field. It was interesting to see what all goes into the process of filming a scene for a movie.

I went for Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Might as well start brushing up on the kiddie tunes now.

Thank you all for the kind words. There won't be any need for a PSYOP campaign Jo. I'll be ready to brag on my little girl to anyone who will listen. The window for the expected birthday is now down to three weeks. I'm trying to play it cool, but I'm a little overrun with anticipation.

In my time here on the Quit Train, I've seen some folks just disappear from the site. No explanation, they were here and all of a sudden we never saw them again. That always leaves some with questions. I'm not saying goodbye, just giving a see ya later. I have no plans to get off of the Quit Train, I just might be a little longer between stops. The birth of my daughter is just weeks away now. The work schedule is busy. I've got some irons in the fire right now. It's all good, but time is at a premium. I will make it a point to check in when possible. I will make a birth announcement when my baby girl makes her debut. And then make appearances from time-to-time to dote on my beautiful, sweet, and perfect little girl. Might as well prepare yourself for proud papa Boo now. I'll be overflowing with emotions and things could get saccharine sweet. Stay smoke-free, it's the right thing to do. Remember to keep it simple. Take care of yourselves. I will see y'all around...

Have a good one Nancy.

Same here. I stayed the course and didn't smoke, but there were plenty of moments when I questioned whether my quit was built for the long haul. I don't know if that means I was in the 99% club. The 2/3 club or the half-ass club. I'm not even sure what variables to use in an effort to quantify any of this. In spite of the doubts and questions I had, I just kept plugging along and not smoking. That led to a 100% successful quit.

Congratulations JohnQ.

I was just writing about the "One Question" again. Seems like a good time to knock the cobwebs off of this one and give it a bump.

I'm not sure if I was 100% committed or 99.9% committed for the first few months of my quit. These things are hard to quantify. I knew I had come to hate smoking and didn't want to do it anymore. However, there was that little lingering voice of doubt in the back of my head. You're gonna start smoking again. You are a smoker, it is who you are...and various other lines of bullstuff similar to that. Long after the quit had become easier and the cravings and obsessive thoughts had mostly passed, there was still a tinge of doubt. It took months before I was able to fully flip the switch and have complete confidence that I was a full fledged non-smoker. Ashing out the last cigarette is a momentous event. Quitting smoking is a process. A successful quit is something that you build. As with any project, self-doubt and second guessing can creep in and leave you wondering if you're doing it right. You stick to the plan and keep building. In time, the pieces all come together. Good news, the plan for quitting is dead simple: DON'T SMOKE! How do you build a quit? You refrain from smoking. So long as you're not smoking, you are building a solid quit. Stray thoughts and shaky knees do not diminish the quality of the quit so long as you don't smoke. This process is graded on a pass/fail basis and only has one question: Did you smoke today? If you didn't smoke today, you're good to go. If you did smoke today, you screwed it up and need to start over. Keep it simple and focus on the big question.

You are doing great Nana. I spent a night pacing around the house cursing under my breath and did several sets of push-ups to exhaustion during the first week of my quit. I looked like a man who was destined for a trip to, as my grandmother called it, "the nervous hospital." And I've already told the story about the morning I forgot to put pants on while getting ready for work... I'm thankful for those memories now. A little insanity in the name of a good cause is no sin.

Jeff, I don't like to tell other folks how to run their business. However, I will from time-to-time submit a thought for consideration. Thinking about smoking is not really anything to fear. In fact, it is to be expected. We're addicts who conditioned ourselves for years with cigarettes...the thoughts are going to be there for a while. How you respond to the thought is where the rubber meets the road. You are no longer a slave to those thoughts. The voice of addiction will tell you it wants a cigarette. You will say no and dismiss the thought. That's what successful quitters do. There is no need to banish certain thoughts. The thoughts will come and go...you will stay the course. Just keep an eye on the map, keep marching in the right direction, and you will get there.

A full decade of freedom. That is cause for celebration. Congratulations Abby.

It's not your imagination. Jumping rope is a great workout with a lot of carryover benefits for runners. Good job D2.

Welcome aboard Nana. Commit the two rules for a successful quit to memory: (1) DON'T SMOKE! (2) If you have any further questions refer back to rule #1. It is a simple process that will reward you many times over.

Good call. Buckle up, knuckle down, and drive on.

Great job Mac. Congratulations.

I've said for years now that if I had to pick one song as my all-time favorite it would be "Into the Mystic." When things get heavy, I'm grateful that we still have the option of finding a quiet place and putting on some Van Morrison records.

Done. I ain't goin' nowhere.

Well, I show up late to the party again. Congratulations on a great quit of four years. You built a rock solid quit for yourself and have helped countless others achieve their freedom. We're honored to share the same Train as you Jillar. Hope you took time to celebrate...

A belated congratulations on two weeks of freedom Jeff. You have two weeks under your belt, that is to be commended. At two weeks in, I had a lot of questions and was desperately looking for answers. At two weeks in, I still thought about smoking more than I wanted to. At two weeks in, there was still lingering doubt about whether I was actually done with smoking for good. I just kept adding days without a smoke and eventually everything started to fall into place. The same will happen for you...I guarantee it. Give yourself some credit. You are doing one of the most important things you can do for yourself and doing it successfully. Take a second and pat yourself on the back.