Oooooh, goodness, it’s that time of year again for “seasonal flashbacks”. Birds are chirping, squirrels are frolicking. Azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom, and forget-me-nots are sprinkled across the lawn like lavender confetti. I was out there working in all of it; a sunny day for mowing and raking and trimming.
And Nic whispered, “Such a pretty yard! Sit under the shady maple, rest, and enjoy what you’ve done! Mmmm, and I think an ice-cold water and a menthol would be sooooo soothing and refreshing right now!”
Stupid Nic. Rattling around in my skull, like a ghost. Wooing and cooing, jangling broken chains that are no longer attached to my hands or mouth.
At times like that, I shake the echo out of my head, and dust off one of my favorite mantras: “ I cannot afford the price of a single puff.” And, what is that price? A shattered quit clock that says ZERO. The shattered respect of my Mentors and friends. A relapse that might drag on and on and on, and a new quit that might never actually get started. These are all on the price tag.
NO WAY!!!!
Then, to my delight, I thought of a clever new angle to this lil’ gem of wisdom: If days were dollars, how much would you have to pay for a pack of cigarettes?
Right now, this very day, a pack of cigarettes would “cost” me $762. Would I be willing to do that? Would I seriously fork over SEVEN HUNDRED & SIXTY-TWO DOLLARS to suck up some poisonous smoke?! To butcher my 2-year-old Quit?! To forsake every single truth I hold dear, and collapse back to Square One?!
NO WAY!!!!
So, if your days were dollars, would you pay that amount of cash to smoke? Is $20 a pack a bargain? How about $53? Would you pay $102 for a puff off the first cigarette in a new pack? $300? What about $1,237?
If you literally had to “pay” your “price” to relapse backwards, would it be worth it?
I thought maybe this fresh exercise might resonate with a new member who is reading (and coping?) here today. I’m sharing it because, too often, I have seen days get squandered, like they aren’t real things that matter. And, yes, I know days don’t have the same value as actual dollars… but what if they did?
Think about how much you‘d lose.
STORM: 762
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