Last one from motor-mouth tonight, I promise. (Gotta be a job 1 early on Thursday, and gotta be a job 2 early Thursday night for a big meeting that will run late.)
Which is my point. My tip? Identify your most vulnerable point during the week. I believe that most people have one, simply because we're into routine. Me, I have a lot of runner-ups: finishing the yard work or house work late on a Saturday afternoon, when it's time to kick back; coming home from an intense meeting, seminar, or whatever at about 10:00 at night after being at your desk since 8 that morning; and so on.
But my most vulnerable time is 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, week in and week out, because no matter what else is going on in my universe, that's when I sit down with the Sunday crossword puzzle, a glass of wine, and a well-deserved cigaratte. It has been my favorite time of the week for more than 20 years.
And guess what? It's still my favorite time. Spouse is usually off watching grandkids or ailing parents; people in crisis have gotten bored with themselves by Sunday afternoon, and normal people are watching sports on TV. God, how I love that time!
So now I love it in a new way. I learn to love it differently until I find a new love that works for me.
I've said before on this board (but it's been so long that no one here has probably ever heard it before) that after any disaster, all people want to do is return to normal. After a disaster, normal is very different than it was before the disaster. Stopping smoking is a pretty huge disaster, in my view!! We can't go back to the way things used to be; we have to create a new normal for ourselves, and we are the only ones who can do it. If we're not ready for a new normal, we're not ready to quit.
(Not sure how the numbering works here -- am I 12? Forge a new normal once you accept you will not go back to the way you were.)
(God, I LOVE it that there's this gray box on my screen that won't go away that says "Normal.")
pete
My Milage:My Quit Date: 2/10/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 8
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 400
Amount Saved: $90.00
Life Gained:Days: 1
Hrs: 15
Mins: 18
Seconds: 21
. Keep building!
