Reciprocity

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Trust me patchy, you are no more or less addicted to nicotine than any of the rest of us around here were. The key component for me was making an unbreakable commitment to quitting no matter how bad things got. There were times I nearly gave in but I somehow found the strength to just keep saying NOPE! That stands for Not One Puff Ever and that's all you have to commit to. Never taking another puff again. Take it one day at a time initially and embrace the experience because you'll only have to through it once providing you live up to that commitment you've made to quit! You may feel lost initially because you will be rebuilding your daily life around being a nonsmoker and that takes time and repetition. It's challenging, no question but it will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself. And, no luck is needed! It's all in your hands now and you have lots of other quitters here to help guide and support you on your journey to freedom! 🐷

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Wow - 3/4 of the way to the Lido Deck! Just stick with Nope and soon you'll be relaxing on the Lido Deck with one of those fancy umbrealla drinks 🍹

Nope!

Aren't Onion Rings really just vegetable donuts therefore considered a healthy snack?

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Have a blast & send pics!

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The Queen of Quit!

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A duck's revenge!

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I'm actually feeling much better now on day 5 of my Covid journey 🙂 Here's some take-aways I have so far from having contracted the strain of this virus that I got ( whatever variant that was?). And remember .... I'm an X-smoker just like the rest of you who smoked for decades and damaged my poor lungs way more than I ever wanted to. 1. There's no way to tell where or even when I actually got the virus. I'm pretty careful with masking and social distancing and hand washing since the onset of Covid yet still ....... I got the virus somehow/somewhere. It's a balance of living life vs staying safe at all costs and clearly, there was a bullet in the chamber for me after 2.5 years of dodging this thing. 2. It's NOT like a cold and it's NOT like the flu. It shares a few symptoms with those illnesses but somehow, Covid feels very different. I clearly had a mild case and I never felt it was affecting my lungs. More of an upper airways thing (throat & nose). 3. The brain fog I had was real and a little concerning. It scares me to not feel I'm in control of my focus and motor functions. I was not in control for at least two days or so (good thing I wasn't driving). 4. The fatigue I experienced was fairly mild - not like being knocked on your a*s as the flu tends to do. It was fleeting and came on me suddenly, without warning at times. Sleep was not in large chunks but in small bites. 5. I did not experience many symptoms that others experience like, fever and debilitating headaches. I suppose I was lucky in that regard. I was not sick to my stomach and ate regularly although in lesser volume. I kept hydrated throughout. 6. The coughing was unrelenting at times and unproductive mostly but sometimes producing a bit of clear mucus. 7. My biggest beef with having Covid is that I completely lost all sense of taste and smell! This still persists even though I am feeling pretty decent now and other symptoms are weakening. I had heard this was a very common symptom but I promise you; you can never understand just how profoundly this affects your daily routine until you experience it. I know I did not comprehend what effect that would have on me. Suddenly, mealtime is a disappointment - something to be avoided. Unfulfilling best describes it! Eating become merely a life sustaining function without the joy of mouthwatering flavours. Textures, temperature & spices are all you can hope to experience. I long for the return of taste more than anything at this point. Texture & sustenance is not enough! Not sure why I wrote this down because it just my experience but perhaps it will serve some purpose in illustrating what some aspects of a Covid experience might be like for others?