Fresh air assaults my lungs; it’s a sensory rollercoaster of bliss. The air is sweet, it’s cool, and it feels as if it’s packed with vitamins. I’m so lucky; I’ve faced the demon head-on, and right now, at least, I’m winning.
Rain drifts in, and for the first time in decades, I can smell its heady, fresh aroma. It’s gorgeous. The weirdest thing is that I can draw in fragrances that did not exist for me yesterday, but I can also taste flavors that delight my senses—flavors I didn’t realize existed at all.
Suddenly, I’m free. As free as the lightning crashing into the clouds on high. I feel just as powerful in my victory over addiction.
Victory!
“How are you feeling today?” My partner asks, doe-eyed and nervous.
“I’m fine. I’m so okay,” I reply. His relief is ridiculously evident, and I smile broadly at the pleasure I am giving him so inadvertently.
I haven’t smoked a cancer stick in twenty-one days. Twenty-one days, which should’ve been hell. That’s what they say—online, in articles, in the corner of the pub. You can’t just give up smoking because, well, you know, you’re going to suffer!
But I haven’t suffered...
I haven’t!
It’s been unbelievably easy. What if people found out that it’s absolutely simple to give up smoking?
What if?
All you really need to do is say “NO!”
I don’t want cancer.
I don’t admire heart thrombosis.
I don’t like the idea of varicose veins.
I don’t want to poison my family and friends with second-hand smoke.
So…
I smashed every packet of cigarettes in the carton I bought.
I raved around the house, dousing cigarettes in water to destroy them.
I held an anti-smoking party!
I made a little paper boat. I loaded it with cigarettes. I set it to float across my swimming pool, but I lit the flag before I pushed it out on the water. I burned my cigarettes in a ritual. A ritual to ensure that I don’t have access.
Twenty-one days down the line, that party is a resounding success.
I know that I’ll never smoke again.
The biggest reason for my absolute resistance is none of the reasons above. The real reason is that I worked out that if I had saved rather than spent the money on cigarettes during my lifetime, I’d have around five hundred thousand rand.
Here’s to five hundred thousand rand in savings over the next fifteen years and a no-smoke zone in my smoke-free home!
Cheers!
