When I quit three years ago....

...after smoking a pack a day for most of forty years,
I woke up not being able to breathe, and wondered 
if this meant an unscheduled trip to the hospital for 
emergency respiratory assistance. I began to panic, 
thinking that I was arriving at my last breath way 
sooner than planned. It was entirely because of 
smoking. I knew this. Then I made my bargain with 
life- "if you'll just let me breathe normally again, 
I'll never smoke another cigarette as long as I live!"

As with a cat's nine lives, I used up one of mine 
that day. I honored my part of the agreement. 
August 25, 2013 marks three years w/o a smoke.
1,095 days...but who's keeping track?

So far, it has all been good. I got out of this habit 
alive, breathing, back to healthy and strong. Today, 
after two hours of yoga and discovering that I can still 
swim two laps underwater, I honor the breath that keeps 
us alive. I feel so blessed that I made it this far that I 
want the world to know. 

There's life after smoking, 
if you catch it in time.

Ads always show the horror of being a smoker. They 
use fear to sell the idea. I guess it works. I get it. I lost 
six family members to the habit. Their stories are 
in my book. 

It's time to campaign for a positive spin on quitting. 
I ask the non-smoking powers-that-be to develop 
promotion based on inspiration, of ex-smokers who 
summited the mountain, sailed down the wave, took 
up yoga, hiked the Himalayas or biked across country 
just to see the great grandchildren...a tribute to those 
who turned their energies into healthy lifestyle and 
achievement. People encourage others when they 
become smoke free. If we heard more of these stories, 
we'd feel even better about quitting. 

Any time you would care to share your inspiration of 
being or becoming smoke free please comment below 
or email romancingthesmoke@gmail.com.
We all want to see stories of inspiration.

Don't forget...
B   R  E  A  T  H  E  .  .  .  .