"Today I Turn Three Years Old..."

"My lungs do not have a rattle when breathing...my heart rate is normal."

Today I turn three years old. My body is feeling better than when it was first born on that day, October 2, 2002. My lungs do not have a rattle when breathing, even at rest. My heart rate is normal. My life is, well, terrific!

It was a beautiful day, the day I was born. My friend (a former smoker) and I went out on a break. She sat at the picnic table with me while I smoked. Each time I inhaled the cigarette made my throat constrict and burn and cause pain in my lungs. I looked at my friend and told her it hurt to smoke. She looked at me, and for the first time she told me it was time. Yes, it was time to make a choice, a choice to breathe or smoke. I opted for breathing.

Now, three years later of this wonderful thing called breathing and I can say I am free, totally free of everything cigarettes had ever done to me. Maybe I should say what I did to cigarettes because it was me who chose to abuse them. Cigarettes still wanted me in its life but I had to keep saying no. It wanted me to keep mistreating it, “use me” it kept saying. I just shook my head no and told it that I was determined to not let it keep a hold on me. I couldn’t let it because I made a promise that breathing was my life and not smoking.

As time passed, cigarettes started to become a somewhat faded memory and my new life was now shining through the window. How unbelievable your life is once you take off the smoke-crusted glasses. Everything is seen in a new light and it’s so very beautiful and bright. Even though I lived with a smoker and still do, it doesn’t cloud me at all. Temptation is something I have to work on for chocolate, not cigarettes.

When Year One passed I celebrated with my coworkers who were rooting me on at a lunch. There must have been about 15 of us. We had so much fun and couldn’t believe one year had passed. Time flew by that quickly. There were ups and downs. The death of my precious dog, Lady, four months into my quit almost made me cave but I didn’t. Smoking wouldn’t have brought her back. On my five month anniversary I got Lorelei. Guess you could say she was a present to celebrate the milestone. Everything was so much better than it was the year before.

When Year Two passed, I didn’t really do anything to celebrate. Of course I remembered the day and posted in my journal on the forum but nothing extravagant. My life was beginning to pick up with a new job and learning new things. Again, time flew by that quickly. Again, everything was even better than the year before.

Now it is Year Three. What will I do to celebrate? As I look around my brand new house, I close my eyes and take deep, deep breaths. I smell the new house smell, the aromas from the kitchen, and how badly my dogs need baths. I open my eyes and just smile because my life has gotten so much better since I was born those three years ago. If it weren’t for quitting smoking I wouldn’t have had the money for the car I bought a year and a half ago nor this house, which is the first house to not be smoked in by me or anyone for that matter! So, for my third year I will celebrate the fact on how far I have come in life and living is so exciting! And life--well, it’s terrific! PERIOD!

On to Year Four!

I have chosen not to smoke for 3 Years 1 Minute 18 Seconds. Cigarettes not smoked: 32,880. Money saved: $5,507.40. Time/life saved: 7 Mos 2 Wks 2 Days 8 Hrs 16 Secs. I chose to quit smoking on 10/02/2002 at 10:00am.

More from Linda:
Linda's Quit Story
Linda's One Year Milestone
Linda's Four Year Milestone