How sweet this day is to me. This time in September seven years ago I decided to quit. Smoking was never the same for me for the next two and a half weeks until I quit. I knew the only way to quit was to mean business about it--that I'd have to do my best--just because I knew I had to walk the walk didn't mean that I felt certain I'd quit, or that knew I would. I didn't know. But it meant that I'd try with everything I had or could learn or find to help me quit. Everything. Resources were not scarce--I wrote a plan, a goodbye letter, watched youtube videos of quit stories. I quit cold turkey. I did not trust myself, so I doubled up on ideas, tricks, bought props (candy, books) to help.
That was seven years ago. All that prep work was what I needed to do to get myself ready to deal with change. I'd pretended that I didn't care about quitting for many decades (I was scared, didn't know how, didn't believe I could), and then one sweet day, a beautiful September day in 2013, I dared to believe that I could.
Dang, I did it!!! Hey, early self, as addicted as you were, clinging to every puff (even smoked a broken cigarette--one of my last ones)--you got it right. Your dare was good. One day at a time, yes we can.
