Hello from Lurkersville…
A quick hello to all you coggers out there! Yes, I’m still busy as a
one-armed wallpaper hanger but I’d rather have it that way. It’s
been another busy week for sure. Went to the funeral of a friend and
co-worker who passed away of lung and liver cancer last week (Pam, I
was sorry to hear you had the same experience this week). My friend
was 41 years old. That was truly sad. I am so grateful that I have
been smokefree now for… well, let’s see, 1year 1week 2days now. I
rarely think about smoking and when I do, it’s just a desire to get
on the support boards and give encouragement to those who are still
struggling. Who knows why some people become so ill from the
effects of smoking and some don’t. But I can guarantee you that
there are always some benefits for everyone who quits smoking…
usually a lot of them.
Family went to the state fair Tuesday night and had a great time
there. It reminded me of last year when I visited the fair and I’d
just quit smoking barely two weeks before; I could smell so much
better - the sausage, the peppers, fried dough, cotton candy, all the
body scents, even the garbage!!!! Wow, it was a wonderful and
terrible assault on my senses all at the same time. What a great
experience! I remembered how I’d chewed on straws to get me through
the rough parts of that day. And how I’d used my new cognitive
thinking tools - Tuning in on how I was really feeling, everytime I
had the urge to have a smoke, I realized it was because I was either
tired from all the walking or hungry. So instead of smoking, I made
myself sit down and rest a while, and then ate (hey, gotta eat at the
fair, right?). That was a real test that day, probably the first day
since I’d quit that I’d gotten out among other people, quite a few
who smoked (hey, this is NC). I remember being proud of myself that
night that I’d made it through the day smokefree and now I realize
that days like that were my stepping stones to where I am now in my
smokefree life, barely giving those stressful days a second thought!
Bottom line, don’t smoke - it’s worth the anxiety and discomfort in
the initial stages.
Later Gators,
- Cat
“Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both
consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of
choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can
find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.” –
Robert F. Bennett