Thanks for the flowers, Moss, that was very thoughtful and most appreciated. And (((((hugs))))) are good, Kelly. To everyone who posted on this thread, thanks for your input.
As I mentioned somewhere along the line, I am a widow. Not a recent widow but a widow nonetheless. That combined with deciding to quit smoking has raised issues of its own. So, I am taking coping mechanisms from widowhood and applying them to not smoking and it seems to be working. And I'm still standing.
The funny (strange) thing is that although I have a craving to smoke, I really don't want a cigarette. I want the idea of smoking, or the habit of smoking, if that makes any sense. I had an early appointment on Monday and decided to kill some time at Barnes & Noble before my next stop, which was later. Well, it was early and the store hadn't opened as yet, so I was waiting outside when a woman came up, tried the door, found it locked, pulled a cigarette out of her purse and lit up. I stared at the cigarette in fascination - only way I can describe it - and was of two minds, I wanted to rip it out of her hand and puff away and at the same time it disgusted me. Since I'm retired and can pick and choose where I go when I want, I have kind of stayed away from smokers so really haven't been exposed that much to active smoking since I quit. But having this woman light up practically under my nose made me realize that I didn't want to smoke.
I have worked through the times when I normally would have a cigarettte - breaks in working in the house, sitting at the computer and talking on the phone, almost everything I did. Now I have to work on breaking the habit of the so-called satisfaction it gave me. I was only fooling myself. Hour by hour and step by step and I'll have it made - - - - I hope.
11/22/2007
Smoke-Free Days: 307
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 6,140
Amount Saved: $1,903.40
Life Gained:Days: 39
Hrs: 9
Mins: 40
Seconds: 35
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