Day 18

I've just about completed day 18 without a cigarette! And, yes, Murr and Lindsay are still alive and well, thank you.

When Mom had her stint put in and they informed her she HAD to stop smoking I made that brave proclamation one day over the phone to her that if she had to quit smoking then I would quit too. I believe she's into her second month now without a cigarette and I'm lagging behind a little at 18 days. I've decided that she has much more willpower than I do, however. She informed me a couple of days ago that she "guessed" she should get rid of all of the packs and cartons of cigarettes that she had stockpiled in the house and the car and her purse and her coat pockets, etc., etc., since she wasn't smoking them anymore. I can guarantee you that if I had that much of an inventory to pick from in the last 18 days that I'd be doing my best to get rid of it, and I don't mean via the trash!

It's a horrible habit and I'm glad to be rid of it, but I will not become one of those "reformed smokers" who think it is their life's calling to convert (or condemn) every smoker out there into a non-smoker. I've always loved that phrase, which you may or may not have heard of: "Smoke 'em if you've got 'em!" I think it was probably alluding to something else entirely, but for this non-smoker it speaks volumes.