Day CXXl

The Temps

     Is it for yourself; your family; your pet or some other reason? You need to know, so when the going gets tough, you can look back, and remember why you want to quit. I read in the paper once, where a man quit because he found out his dog could get cancer from his 2nd hand smoke. Imagine that, not for his wife, kids or himself, but for his dog. Wow!

     The best reason to quit, imho, is for yourself, your own good health, because if you’re well, then the rest of it will take care of itself- or you’ll be able to take care of it.

     An important thing about quitting is that when you quit, your pals are still smoking. You need to think about this! It’s like the junky who quits, and goes back to the old nabe. The Temps are still there, singing, cooing, and seducing him to come back to where he belongs. Are you that junky? Be sure you know where you belong, turn off that radio, and stop listening to the Temps.

     Also, there’s, I think a collateral habit. For instance, you drink beer when you smoke; one day you quit; then when you drink a beer...you’re going to get a really, really strong desire to smoke with that beer. It’s the same thing if you have wine, tea, or coffee with that smoke. It’s real tough to have any of those beverages, and overcome the urge to smoke.

     “It isn't easy…it never was!”

     In the afternoons I used to like a doughnut, and a cup of Joe with it. No not at Dunkin, or Starbucks, they weren’t around back then. It was usually a greasy diner, where I sat at the counter. After the pastry, I would light up, and finish my coffee.