Boo

Great job Despair Not. Congratulations.

At the risk of being that old man who tells the same stories over and over again...I forgot to put on my pants one morning early in my quit. Went to put my shoes on before heading out for work. Something felt not quite right. Evaluated the situation. Realized that I had forgotten to put on my pants. Now, I almost never forget my pants. Almost never...

Finishing a task, yardwork in particular, was one of the last triggers I overcame. It took a while before I got over my desire for my "reward" for a job well done. On a related note, mowed my yard for the first time this year on Saturday. Didn't think about smoking once. It gets easier with time. Eventually, smoking is nothing more than a distant memory.

It takes me a while to get back up to speed following a night out with Doreen.

I asked the guy down at Home Depot how to get a better tone out of my shovel. And he acted like I was the weird one!

Happy St. Patrick's Day folks. Wait...I wasn't told there would be choreography!

Great job Gus. Welcome to the lido deck! Commence the celebratory dancing...

Now I'm curious. Do some dogs watch T.V.? Cash has never given so much as a tinker's damn about what's on. There was some show on one time with a bunch of dogs. I pointed it out to him. He could not have cared less. I can get three new tennis balls a month for about five bucks...and he never gets tired of chasing tennis balls.

Just run the mile your in Justin.

Happy Birthday Jillar. I've got a card in my "existing images" from Doreen's last birthday...there it is!

Good job Sunshine. Congratulations.

You can mix in spinach with just about any meal. I made an omelet this morning and mixed in some spinach. Also had a green drink this afternoon, which in spite of its appearance tastes really good with a bit of mint. We even make sure that our one year-old daughter gets her spinach by mixing it in with things she does enjoy eating. She's a picky eater, but she's only one so she's easy to trick. Strong to the finish cause I eats me spinach...

I heard from my friend again this morning. The doctors pretty much told him if he continues to smoke, he's not long for this world. As he suspected he does have COPD now. He has also developed blood clots that require surgery. The threat of a stroke is very real and he has all but lost use of his left leg. Scare tactics never worked on me when I was still smoking; I could bury my head in the sand as well as anyone. This is not an attempt to scare anyone into quitting, it's just a reminder of the heavy toll paid by smokers for their addiction. And frankly, it hurts like hell to see it happen to someone I know and like. A line I read from Hunter S. Thompson years ago has always stuck with me: "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance." I hope you all make your choice and don't wait for circumstance to determine your fate.

Talk of kintsugi and dealing with imperfections in another thread put me in mind of this song...

Every now and then, some dunderhead here in America proposes that we fix the crack in the Liberty Bell. We could, but then it would just be some old bell. Take away the crack and it loses its identity.

You are well on your way Denali. Good job.

Trust the process Denali. The process is 100% effective every single time. You're doing great. We're more alike than you might want to think Looney Bird. Sugar Britches cannot understand why I say nice things about my friends behind their back, but call them "idiots" and "fart-knockers" to their face. It's all for shits and giggles. Besides, if those slap-dicks ever caught me being nice to them I would never live it down. Best wishes to your Daughter-In-Law and the little dynamic duo. Twins will bring a lot of excitement to the table. Just facing the fact that we're going to have two under two years-old here at home is a reminder that we will be busy for a while. What can I say, I've been told more than once that I have an "old soul."

Due date is April 16. Only five weeks away. We're almost into the full-on pacing phase.

I have a nephew and two nieces. My sister said that changing the girls was always less adventurous: "With girls, you don't have anything pointing straight at you." And my mom said that I used to let it rip as soon as the diaper came off. I suspect a bit of retribution will be coming my way soon.

Thank you kindly for all the well wishes and atta boys. Your messages are much appreciated. Time flies when you're having fun. I still remember well straggling in here not really knowing my ass from a hole in the ground. Now, the Quit Train is like home away from home for me. Taking the ride with good folks like you has made this one hell of a trip. Viva la Horny Toad! I will always owe a debt of gratitude to the Quit Train. I signed up here six years-ago. Folks that didn't know me from Adam's housecat took time to show me the way. I will always appreciate that. I like to think that I've helped some folks who started their journey after me and also honored those who came before me. I had no idea what was in store for me when I quit smoking. Made a commitment to change one thing about myself. Quickly learned about the ripple effect that was to follow that one big decision. Quitting changed the entire game and I'm thankful every single day for the process. A lot can change in six years. Quit smoking. Quit drinking. Became less impulsive and self destructive. Started living like an actual adult. Got married. Started a family. I became one of those "boring" middle-aged men...and I wouldn't change it for anything. In week two of my quit I was still white-knuckling it. I didn't even quit for the day, I was just looking to make it one more hour. I dealt with the next hour when it got here. Becoming a permanent ex-smoker was an idea I still couldn't wrap my head around. Fast-forward to today and I can't remember the last time I craved a cigarette. It took some time, but the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. You will get there as well. And now...we celebrate!

Back when we had the "Babe of the Day" thread, we celebrated women everyday.

Great job Steven. You are building a rock-solid quit for yourself.

The skies would part. The sun would shine down. Pretty ladies would bring me a cold beverage. A band of cherubic angels would appear in the sky and play my favorite songs for me... At least that's how I misremembered smoking a cigarette when I was craving one. Gone were the memories of huddling under a small covering while smoking in the rain. Smoking on windy days and catching a bit of ash in the eye. Those cigarettes in the morning that set off a coughing spell. And so on, and so on. Addiction presents smoking as a pleasant and calming experience. In reality, smoking sucks.

The American equivalent of that is NI-712 spray. A bit on the pricey side, but a little bit of that stuff goes a long way. My old truck smelled like a Florida citrus farm after I hit it with the juice.