Smoke Free for 1001 Days

I’m not sure how often I’ll write about this – we’re only on day four, really, of our 1,001 days to go. But number 31 is really for me, not for us (Nicole has never smoked before, and never plans on it, either): to remain smoke free for 1,001 days.

I have been smoke free for 28 days. A full four weeks, that is. When this is all over, I will (at best) be smoke free for 1,025 days. Imagine that – no smoking for all of that time.

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I will quit for a few months, weeks, days, and then the urge will strike. Sometimes, it will be in the middle of a faculty meeting at school, usually when someone is yelling or arguing or just talking and talking and talking – oftentimes when I’m driving home afterwards, I'll pull over to a gas station and buy a pack (or two) of Parliament Lights. Then I'll tell myself that I'll quit after that pack, and five packs later (and usually with some sort of throat illness) I'll try to quit again. Right in time for the next faculty meeting.

I never try to quit with patches or gum or anything of that sort. I just don’t find myself “addicted” – I don’t know why. I’m sure I am. But I lasted many months by quitting cold turkey, and it’s how I’m doing it again.

28 days.

Nicole is celebrating my full month of not smoking this weekend in Boulder as we go on the Celestial Seasonings tour, up to Estes Park for a walk, and just general moseying around the mountains. Nothing like clean, mountain air to remind me why quitting is so important.