Reciprocity

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Thank you all for your kind thoughts and condolences. I appreaciate your words at this time. It may sound somewhat cold but although we will miss having her with us, at the same time we are relieved she has passed as her quality of life the past couple of years was pretty much zero. Hard to watch someone you love end up unable to do so many things they once loved. She still had all her marbles, which I think made things worse for her lately because she understood what was happening but could do little about it. She died peacefully of old age so did not suffer in her final days. @Gus mentioned how she must have had some great stories because of the time span of her life. That she did! Her family grew up in a mining town in northern Ontaio Canada. A hard working, hard drinking town where winters are particularly brutal. Everyone there worked at the Gold Mine or for a business supporting the mine. She was the youngest of 3 children. Her father who served in WW1 died unexpectedly of TB in 1928 which threw the family into sheer panic because he was the bread winner and then a year later, the great depression began - double whammie!! I remember years ago, when she was living on her own still; when I would visit her I'd go into her fridge and there'd be all these little packages of food wrapped in plastic wrap. I wondered what they were? There'd be two left over peas, a teaspoon of potato. three bits of carrots and so on. Those years of living in desperation during the depression never left her brain. Never, ever, ever throw any food away! It was something I just couldn't imagine yet I fully understood why she was doing this. She was a real pistol too. Never did she shy away of speaking her mind; good or bad. But I loved her all through her life and did my best to support her emotionally when my dad died 22 years ago Here's a pic of her family before her father died. My Mom's the baby on her mother's lap. She looks to be around 1 year old? That would put the pic at 1921ish. As Gus suggested, just imagining all the crazy technoligical changes she wittnessed in her lifetime - amazing!

You lived a long, full life but are gone too soon 😢 Ivy - November 17, 1920 - May 18, 2024; (103 years, 6 months & 1 day.) My Mother kept a garden. A garden of the heart; She planted all the good things, That gave my life it’s start. She turned me to the sunshine, And encouraged me to dream: Fostering and nurturing The seeds of self-esteem. And when the winds and rains came, She protected me enough; But not too much, she knew I’d need To stand up strong and tough. Her constant good example, Always taught me right from wrong; Markers for my pathway To last my whole life long. I am my Mother’s garden, I am her legacy. And I hope today she feels the love, Reflected back from me. Rest in peace dear mother. Although I'm sad to lose you, I've known for awhile now, it was time for you to go. You've more than earned your eternal rest 😘

Nope!

Huge congrats Jillar on 8 years smoke free and for all the support you have given freely to others over those 8 years in order to help them also succeed in quitting (myself included). You have truly incorporated giving valuable guidance to others into your own quit journey

Hope you all enjoy the holiday and take time to remember your fallen heros 🙏

Not to mention many of those actors/actresses died of smoking related illnesses well before they should have.

Welcome Struggle Daily! Quitting is doable for all but you gotta commit absolutely and without reservation. Under NO circumstances will you stick a cig in your mouth and light it. Yest it's tough initially; really tough but it does get easier with each passing day that you don't smoke. You may not realize it at first but it is getting better with time you put in not smoking. Read everything you can here and stay active on the site. People will guide you along the way.

Nope!

Best part of quitting by far!!! YOU now run your life NOT your addiction to NICOTINE! And that lasts for LIFE buddy

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Cuz all those call centers are in countries where they can get people to work for 3 bucks a week and like they say; ya get what ya pay for 😒

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Yep! Still in party mode over here 👍

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You're absolutely right! It was more convenient for us to speak to a real live person and usually someone who knew what they were doing, not just some know nothing traniee but unfortunately for us (the customers) Customer Service is a thing of the past because it's too expensive and represents a very expensive cost item on the balance sheet and in in today's corporate world it's only the bottom line that's really important. It's really a shame for us customers but not like we have a choice in most instances.

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How long have you smoked for @kenzie_peyton? Think about how many times you have unconsciously conditioned your brain to believe that satisfying that horrible withdrawal feeling you always got after time passed from smoking you last cig. was indeed pleasurable. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of times over the years. And when you got that first hit, your brain is thinking ... Ahhhh. That right there is conditioning yourself to believe smoking is "enjoyable". IT'S NOT! it's simply getting relief from mounting withdrawal symptoms setting in because you're addicted to nicotine. When we decide to quit, we are telling our addiction; go ahead! Bring on the withdrawals ... do your best! I have committed to ignoring you and I know with time, those withdrawal symptoms will fade (because my mentors on the train have said so!!). And yes; we all used smoking as a reward for all sorts of things and that's part of the reason quitting and feeling comfortable about it takes awhile. I quit in January when it was cold and snowy where I live. I wondered what would happen the first time I cut my lawn the following spring because I ALWAYS used a smoke afterward as a "reward". Turns out, by the time it came around it wasn't such a big deal afterall. Instead of lighting up a smoke, I grabbed a cold beer, sat out on my deck and breathed in the wonderful smell of fresh cut grass - something I could never smell as a smoker. The very difficult times of your early quit do not last all that long in the grand scheme of things. Start making a concentrated effort to think of all the good things that quitting will bring to you and stop listening to the lies your addiction wants you to beieve. Make a list and look at it often: Breathing better; really tasting your food again, smelling better to others, saving a pile of $$, not looking like some kind of outcast to non-smokers as you stand outside puffing away, and best of all ... FREEDOM! Freedom from nicotine running your life each & every day. That's HUGE!!! We all enjoy those things and more as quitters. Why not come join us? Oh yeah; post all you want. We all did when we were in the midst of our withdrawal days. We know how upside down life can be during that time. If you find yourself up at ungodly hours looking for something to do, go to the Games Page. That's a good place to waste a bit of time keeping your mind occupied

OO

I shouldn't have had that second Pizza at @QuittingGirl Lido Party last night. Resulted in terrible dreams 🤯

Looks like a lovely spot ya got there 👍

I know people ....... very powerful people 😛