By now, many who know me in real life have figured out my secret.
For four days (and 47 minutes) I have been smoke-free. But please, don’t treat me any differently than before. I don’t want any special accommodations.
I live in the real world, and in the real world, some people do smoke. I will NOT become an anti-smoker nazi, and I will not harass other people for smoking – in my presence or otherwise. If someone wants to quit for their own reasons, I’ll be supportive – but I won’t nag anyone who doesn’t ask my advice.
Truthfully, once I get a few weeks behind me, it is very likely that I will occasionally enjoy a big, fat cigar with a fine single-malt scotch. Since I quit for a year once before, I remember the good things: food will taste better; I don’t have to go stand in the cold several times a day (I haven’t smoked in my own house for 11 years); I won’t waste $90/month on something unproductive; I won’t have to be an outcast in public, hiding outside the door. Some of the lines on my face will soften. I can carry a smaller purse — or maybe not carry one at all.
I also remember the bad parts: my sense of smell will come back, and there are a lot of people out there who just smell bad. It’s likely that I will struggle not to regain that 30 pounds that I gained last time, which made me feel like my skin was too tight. I just hope that I can keep the bitchiness at bay, because that’s what bothered me the most. I just didn’t even like myself anymore — even a year later.
In case you’re wondering, I didn’t quit for my health (which is just fine, thank you very much). I quit because it’s inconvenient, because I’m tired of being an outcast, and because I can find better uses for the time and money that I used to spend on that habit.
This country is changing though, and I’m not at all comfortable with our movement toward a nanny state.
Next time you stop at a Golden Corral (especially the one on Clinton Highway), count the number of adults under 300 pounds – the last time we were there, it was limited to our family, and the place was packed.
This year, it’s banning smoking in “the workplace.†How long before obesity is targeted? Diabetics who eat things they shouldn’t? People who don’t eat their vegetables?
I know you don’t believe me now, but just watch and see. We seem to be forgetting what it means to be the land of the free and the brave.
, it’s a challenge to relax and enjoy the music with the kids interrupting every few minutes.