Serendipity?
Hi Shelly,
you wrote:
“Its amazing. I feel amazing. I feel fear. I’m out of my comfort
zone. But, it feels like life is happening again. I wonder if this is not
serendipity or something. People keep asking me what has happened to me.
And I don’t really know what to say.”
Tell them you’ve taken control of your responses to life. And in taking
back that control, you’re getting actively involved in living your life
rather than just going through the day to day motions.
you also wrote:
“I have heard people say that when you smoke, you let things go that you
normally wouldn’t. Its like the nicotine ‘numbs’ you from certain things. I
have experienced this a little since I quit because I am more irritable
with things my daughter is doing that I really ’should’ have been irrated
with before that I use to let fly. But, my response to irritation now is
not a cigarette. Some calming breaths and sometimes even removing myself
from the situation helps. This also forces me to take some action on these
issues.”
Exactly! For me, smoking was too often a ‘turning away’ from the
moment. Rather than deal with whatever was happening, I’d take a moment to
light up. Even if I lit up as things were happening, it was still a degree
of avoiding whatever life was in that moment. As soon as we quit smoking we
quit avoiding. The question at that point is how will we start dealing with
a life that suddenly seems to have taken on a new clarity and intensity.
Looks to me that you’re using your cognitive tools and doing very well.
Keep questioning, keep examining, stay aware. Well done Shelly,
Steve