It's been a while since I last took a puff.  Long enough that seasons have changed, rinsed, and repeated.

 

This is what I am left with...

 

 

Once in a while I feel like smoking.  A fleeting fancy that I brush aside like errant cobwebs.

 

I gained weight.  I eventually got around to working it off.

 

That heavy ache I felt in my chest.   It took several months but it slowly faded away.

 

Those three flights of stairs that kicked my ass, I can walk em while talking.  

 

Coughing.  Once to excess, its become less and less.

 

After a few months I no longer paused leaving home to be certain I had my lighter and ciggs.

 

What all I am saying is that breaking an addiction wasn't an overnight event for me.  A lot of my

actions throughout the day were muscle memory.  After 30+ years of smoking I had to pave over my

habits with new habits.

 

All that money I saved?  It was never about the money.  It was about my health and honoring the memory 

of somebody I cared about.

 

It took time but it was worth the time it took.

 

This is where I stand up and say, "I was the worst smoker ever.  If I can quit, anyone can quit."

 

Yeah, its a cliche', but it's also true.   

 

When we quit we have good days and bad days in our fight against nicotine.  But gradually the good

days outnumber the bad days until, if your having a bad day its because of the flat tire, and not because

you've run out of smokes and can't find somebody to bum from.

 

I wish all the quitters every success.  I really am rooting for you.

 

For those on the fence.  Picture where you will be in ten years, with and without the smokes.  

Then hop on the quit train.  

 

Your future self with thank you.

 

 

 

 

I love your posts, Sirius. Truthful, astute  and succinct.

 

"It took time but it was worth the time it took." 

 

It has been a journey of self discovery for me and the rewards are inestimable.

Funny, I was just thinking about "The Journey" earlier ... I use to smoke but I don't anymore.

Love this post...

I was the worst smoker ever....if I can quit,anyone can quit...

No matter how long you have smoked ,being free is the most rewarding feeling ever..

This 52 years smoker can promise you this..

Great post.

Its easier to keep smoking but it slowly becomes more difficult.

 

Its difficult to quit smoking but it slowly becomes easier.

 

It's a decision you must commit to but...to quit smoking is the biggest investment you can make in tomorrow.

Your post is SO powerful Sirius because you are SO right!

Its easier to keep smoking but it slowly becomes more difficult.

 

Its difficult to quit smoking but it slowly becomes easier.

 

It's a decision you must commit to but...to quit smoking is the biggest investment you can make in tomorrow.

 

 

That´s some profund philosophical material. Well done.