Hey, everybody & especially the newbies who are wondering when it gets better and if it's worth it. I want to tell you how I spent my afternoon.
I took my daughter to Rain, the Beatles Experience. I am a fan, she is a HUGE fan and she has been beside herself with anticipation since I told her I had tickets almost 2 months ago. Gratitude #1: If I was smoking, I could not have afforded the tickets.
We took the train to the auditorium and you go through an art school from the station to the venue. Gratitude #2: I could take the time to look at the students' exhibits with my daughter, talking about them and learning about her opinions and viewpoints, and plans for her own education, because I didn't have to take the time for a smoke after the train ride.
We got a bottle of water & settled into our seats with a few minutes to spare. Gratitude #3: I got to share & feel her excitement and anticipation because I wasn't outside smoking until the last possible minute.
Some people who had been outside smoking until the last minute came to sit beside my daughter & she asked me to trade seats because the smell was making her sick. Gratitude #4: I can sit next to non-smokers without making them feel sick.
The music started and we clapped and danced and woohoo'd and yelled and screamed and did everything short of throwing our panties up on stage. At intermisssion, I went to the washroom & my daughter went to get ice cream. Gratitude #5: I didn't miss a single minute of time with my daughter because I didn't have to go out to smoke, I didn't have to stumble my way into a darkened auditorium after the show had resumed. I didn't have to wait to be let in when the band was between numbers.
The music resumed and so did our clapping, dancing, etc. While we were applauding for an encore, I WOOHOO'd especially long & loud. The band came back out & as we were settling back into our seats, my daughter turned to me and said, "You could never have done that when you smoked." she meant the long loud WOOHOO & she was right. Gratitude #6: I can join the fun at the end of a concert without embarrassing myself or anyone with me, by breaking out in a coughing, hacking, spitting, purple-faced fit.
At the end, we walked back through the art school, talking about our favourite parts. Gratitude #7: There was no let-down for her, no lag time for her excitement to wane, because she didn't have to wait for me to have a smoke. I got all of her excitement and happiness at having had that experience.
That was just one afternoon in a non-smoker's life, with all that happiness, love & gratitude packed into it!
Yes, it gets better & yes, it is more worth it than you can imagine!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 155
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,100
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,705.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 20 [B]Seconds:[/B] 28