He was leaning over the outdoor banister on the third floor of the condo complex where I live a nicotine-free existence. On occasion, I pass by a smoker’s obnoxious toxins, permeating the air. Each encounter with a smoker brings to mind, albeit momentarily, my unmitigated joy of being an ex-smoker.
I don’t want to be nauseating about it, but why not? If one’s jubilance about his or her escape from a nicotine prison is something that annoys you – as it once did me – then, perhaps, your addiction to cigarettes is still very much in residence.
You’re locked up and locked out of life, and, although you may be mobile, your mobility is impaired. Don’t believe me? Try climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower (or its equivalent) as I did and log how you feel. If you still smoke, take a look at your log later, after you quit nicotine, and compare it with how you felt following a steep climb. I climbed the Eiffel Tower after I’d been off cigarettes for some years and found the experience exhilarating.
Words like “exhilarating” and “joyous” annoyed me back in the day whenever folks used them to describe their nicotine-free life; I was in my "Nietzsche phase": drinking, smoking, and feeling more Nietzschean (translation: hopeless) than I might have otherwise, had I not exacerbated my thoughts and feelings via alcohol and cigarettes.
That’s how it was for me many years ago. How’s it for you? Are you finally at the point that you don’t want to smoke away your health and your joy away for thirty years, as I did?
Encouragement and warnings from older folks like me can be helpful to some. I have proof of this, anecdotally, in abundance. Thus, I’ll continue to share my message of hope and, coupled with other factors, you might relate, take action, make a decision, phone your M.D. for an appointment, continue your “stop smoking” search on the internet, contact stop smoking support agencies, etc.
Consider this, after you’ve successfully escaped from nicotine country – a desolate place of disease and death – you’ll take notice of current smokers and gag from the fumes.
You’ll have pride in a wonderful achievement, ultimately contributing to a new green globe. And a brand new you.
Visit me at quitnicotinenow.net and I look forward to being with you next week.
Want to quit smoking? Start here.
Preparing to Quit Smoking
How to Quit Smoking: Week 1
How to Quit Smoking: Week 2
How to Quit Smoking: Week 3
How to Quit Smoking: Week 4
How to Quit Smoking Beyond the First Month
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