Great post! You are doing so good - thanks for being an inspiration! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/8/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 160 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,400 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $672.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16

It�s been 2 years now since I got on this roller coaster and boy, what a ride! There were times when I remember thinking, �GET ME OFF THIS DAMNED THING!!!� But I�m so glad now that I didn�t get off. Sure, I almost fell out a time or two, but somehow hung on. Speaking in terms of the quit being a ride reminds me of a quote I�ve heard a few times. [quote] Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy @!$%#...what a ride!" [/quote] When I was a smoker, I honestly rationalized smoking as being a way to achieve that. But now, I realize that the ride isn�t about how reckless we are with our lives, but rather about how we spend each day. I don�t think that the author of this quote meant that we should be careless with our bodies while here on earth� at least I hope not. But rather, I think it means that we should spend our lives doing things we really enjoy and not missing out on anything. We should spend our days making sure that each one really counts for something. I can honestly say now that my days count for something. I am just a few short months away from achieving my lifelong goal � I will soon be a teacher. When I smoked, I wanted to teach, but part of the reason why I didn�t become a teacher when I got my Bachelor�s Degree was because of my addiction. For one, I knew I couldn�t look at all those little wonderful faces and tell them not to smoke when I, myself was a smoker. I also knew that there was NO way I could go ALL day everyday without a cigarette� and have all of the children alive at the end of the day! :8o: And quitting was unimaginable at the time. So I opted for the easy way out, knowing in my heart that my true dream was to teach. I now get to realize that dream� partly because I have quit smoking. I wouldn�t trade this smoke free life for anything in the world! This �ride� has taken me places I never could have gone as a smoker. And now, I can honestly look back at the last two years of my life and say �WHAT A RIDE!� And I know that the ride has only just begun� and I am SO looking forward to the rest of it! Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 730 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,250 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,014.90 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 51 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 54 [B]Seconds:[/B] 35