Veteran. Papa. Innovator. Autodidact. Designer. Stoic. Gadfly. Apprentice Polymath. Advocate. Cynophilist. Artist. Ignostic. Minarchist. Pastafarian. Patriot. Contrarian. Bibliophile. Occasional Mensan. Cancer Survivor. Former police officer, sailor, and soldier.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.
Today is Day Seven without a cigarette. That will be 10,080 minutes when day is done. Great, only 82 gazillion and three to go. How did I find myself stumble down this path?
Should I blame my Uncle Sam who made smoking both a reward and a symbol that at least momentarily we were safe with the utterance, "Smoke 'em if ya got 'em."? I remember feeling sorry for the poor dumbasses who didn't smoke. They had nothing to look forward to! Actually I started swiping my grandmothers Trues when I was eight. (She later died of ovarian cancer years after she quit smoking). By the time I entered the Navy at age seventeen, I was smoking three to four packs a day of Camel non-filtered cigarettes. I wouldn't leave the house without at least two unopened packs on my person.
I got hypnotized in 2001 and quit smoking for three and a half years. I gained seventy pounds. I then lost seventy pounds and in 2005 started smoking again. I've put fifty of those extra pounds back on. I didn't need any of them.
Everyone wanted me to quit again, but the weight bothered me too much. A bit over a week ago, one of my best friends was diagnosed with stage 2 brain cancer (Gliamotses Cerebri). He's thirty eight, quit smoking three years ago, and has a nine year old and a two year old. That was what made me finally want to quit, rather than feeling like I should or had to.
Every day my friend has left is a precious gift. Well duh huh. Every day any of us has left is a precious gift! Why don't we get that until we see the gift taken away from others? I don't want to throw anymore of my gift away. Even if smoking didn't kill me, I have wasted so much time being unproductive, adversely affected my daily health, and easily blown a nice car payment each month.
The time is now. I don't think I'll need to be told again.
Should I blame my Uncle Sam who made smoking both a reward and a symbol that at least momentarily we were safe with the utterance, "Smoke 'em if ya got 'em."? I remember feeling sorry for the poor dumbasses who didn't smoke. They had nothing to look forward to! Actually I started swiping my grandmothers Trues when I was eight. (She later died of ovarian cancer years after she quit smoking). By the time I entered the Navy at age seventeen, I was smoking three to four packs a day of Camel non-filtered cigarettes. I wouldn't leave the house without at least two unopened packs on my person.
I got hypnotized in 2001 and quit smoking for three and a half years. I gained seventy pounds. I then lost seventy pounds and in 2005 started smoking again. I've put fifty of those extra pounds back on. I didn't need any of them.
Everyone wanted me to quit again, but the weight bothered me too much. A bit over a week ago, one of my best friends was diagnosed with stage 2 brain cancer (Gliamotses Cerebri). He's thirty eight, quit smoking three years ago, and has a nine year old and a two year old. That was what made me finally want to quit, rather than feeling like I should or had to.
Every day my friend has left is a precious gift. Well duh huh. Every day any of us has left is a precious gift! Why don't we get that until we see the gift taken away from others? I don't want to throw anymore of my gift away. Even if smoking didn't kill me, I have wasted so much time being unproductive, adversely affected my daily health, and easily blown a nice car payment each month.
The time is now. I don't think I'll need to be told again.
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