Paul723 is 6 Years Quit!

[Reciprocity]

6 years is an amazing feat Paul - congrats! Hope you still celebrate your Anniversaries in some special way and thanks for paying it back to others.

It does make a difference  

[Ankush]

Congratulations on a 6 year quit @Paul723!!!

[Eight-Toe Joe]

OUTSTANDING !!!

[johnny5]

Congratulations Paul!  6 years smoke free is huge!

[MLMR]

Congrats Paul!

 

Do you still take time to celebrated this date after 6 years? I love that people like you still come here to support and educate others. Really inspirational. Thanks for that!

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by MLMR

[Paul723]

This has become one of my favorite days of the year.  I am able to think back to the beginnings of my quit in perfect comfort now.  Six years ago I was anything but comfortable; I kept repeating to myself that a crave can’t hurt you, it will pass.  I was helped along by many that gave me good advice exactly when I most needed it.  The shared experience of people all trying to accomplish the same thing helped me through the process of quitting.  Everyone wants to succeed and everyone wants everyone to succeed.  That is the collective strength of this forum.  I remember after eight months thinking I’m done with smoking, it’s over and the sudden feeling of lightness it gave me to have the struggle fall away.  Doreen calls this, “the magic”.

I made an interesting discovery at work this past year and I am working towards another patent.  I continue to find interesting sausages and cured meats to make.  I cut into a country ham that I aged for 18 months then cut into a prosciutto style ham that aged 24 months, both delicious.  My garden has done well this year despite the hap-hazard attention I give it.  A friend of mine calls it a Darwinian experiment, survival of the fittest.  Bread making continues to improve and I make it almost every week.  Beer making seems to be a steady routine of a batch per month on average.  Beer drinking on pace with beer making.

The health center that I go to gave me a t-shirt that said, “Exercise is Medicine”, it was not lost on me that it was a XXL.  I think they are hoping that I increase the dosage.  Janet723 is also doing well despite some back problems and we are planning to go to England in the fall with our granddaughter. 

[Sazerac]

Congratulations Paul on your Six Years of Freedom !

Wonderful to hear J is doing OK, too.  Hope her back heals quickly.

(has she tried a Tens machine ? )

Yum, prosciutto ! I would be an endless XXXX size if prosciutto and beer were on offer.

 

Thanks for popping in with your wisdom, 

it is always great to read you

and thank you for your guidance in my quit, this helped me build a strong one.

 

Please celebrate and reward yourselves, Six Years is an excellent milestone.

 

[Rozuki]

Congrats, Paul723! Sensational achievement of six years quit and still paying it forward! Celebrate and KTQ! 

[Nancy]

So happy for you, Paul!  We've done a lot of celebrating together.  LOL, do you remember when I kept getting your quit date wrong?  I'm so proud to have been on the journey with you.  Thanks for still being here and all you do.  Sounds like life is great!

[jillar]

Congratulations Paul, sounds like your life is full of awesome things Thank you for all the support you give here. Have a wonderful day

 

[Martian5]

6 years, just amazing, congrats!!!

[Doreensfree]

Congratulations Paul,

It's been fun,travelling on your journey...specially sharing our sausage stories...together....

You have been a massive part of my quit..always supportive xxx

[Boo]

Great job Paul.  Congratulations on six years of freedom.

 

I'm going to try not to butcher the quote too badly, but I'm working strictly from memory here.  Early in my quit, I read a line you wrote: you don't have to fight the waves, you just learn to surf.  That really resonated with me.

 

Celebrate and enjoy, you earned it.

[Nancy]

This should bring ba ck memories...our first year!

 

Quitters June-August2013.pdf

Edited July 24, 2019 by Nancy

[Paul723]

Quote

LOL, do you remember when I kept getting your quit date wrong?

 

It just happened once; I know I gave you a helpful hint.

 

 

 

The quote you are trying to remember Boo is, "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf".  I gave that advice to Tiffany, I'm not sure if she used it.  It is a variation of Sarge's, "Embrace the suck".  Quitters are trying to make a massive change to their lives and we naturally resist change, especially in the non-rational parts of our brain where nicotine resides.  Learning to surf is working with change in a positive way.  Now that you're married, you'll have plenty of surfing chances; just tell yourself, "Surf's up".