Cold Turkey
My dear friend Freddie had been smoking for decades. His wife, his children, his friends and doctors all pushed for him to quit. He tried, but he always picked it back up. "I am a hardworking man. I am not even allowed to enjoy such a little pleasure in my own time? Is life still worth living anymore?"
Smoking had caused some health issues in Freddie, but it was not severe enough to motivate the man to kick the habit. He was a frugal man. Yet, even rising cigarette prices could not deter him from buying more.
One day he told me he had stopped smoking. I was very surprised. Who could be so powerful to finally convince him? "Nobody made me. I just decided that it is time to stop."
Really? Was it planned? Had he been considering it for a long time? "Nope. I just stopped and I threw whatever was left in the packet away."
Wow.
But why? What can be so compelling that such a hardheaded man like Freddie would quit for good all of a sudden?
"Everybody in my family has been telling me to not smoke for years. They complain about the smell. So, I don't smoke in the house. I like to smoke when I drive. My wife does not want the car to stink. I don't like that either. So, when I smoke in the car, I always leave the window open and hold my cigarette with my left hand outside the window. This way, as long as I blow the smoke out of the window, nothing stays in the car. When I am done, I just flick the cigarette butt away. There is nothing left to make the car smell."
"But then, one day, when I was walking on the street, I saw a cigarette butt. I started thinking about the many cigarette butts that I had tossed from my car. 'Where did they land? On the road? On the sidewalk? Did they light up anything nearby? Are they still sitting on the streets somewhere? Could this be one of the cigarette butts that I threw?' It suddenly occurred to me that it was a very nasty thing I did. I have been trashing cigarette butts everywhere! What a horrible person I am!" Freddie looked down while shaking his head.
"I cannot go back to pick up my cigarette butts. However, I can at least stop tossing more into the street. I smoked mostly when I was driving. If I am to not toss cigarette butts, it basically means I have to give up smoking. So, I did."
Freddie shrugged his shoulders as if it was not a big deal, but it blew my mind.
Smoking had caused some health issues in Freddie, but it was not severe enough to motivate the man to kick the habit. He was a frugal man. Yet, even rising cigarette prices could not deter him from buying more.
One day he told me he had stopped smoking. I was very surprised. Who could be so powerful to finally convince him? "Nobody made me. I just decided that it is time to stop."
Really? Was it planned? Had he been considering it for a long time? "Nope. I just stopped and I threw whatever was left in the packet away."
Wow.
But why? What can be so compelling that such a hardheaded man like Freddie would quit for good all of a sudden?
"Everybody in my family has been telling me to not smoke for years. They complain about the smell. So, I don't smoke in the house. I like to smoke when I drive. My wife does not want the car to stink. I don't like that either. So, when I smoke in the car, I always leave the window open and hold my cigarette with my left hand outside the window. This way, as long as I blow the smoke out of the window, nothing stays in the car. When I am done, I just flick the cigarette butt away. There is nothing left to make the car smell."
"But then, one day, when I was walking on the street, I saw a cigarette butt. I started thinking about the many cigarette butts that I had tossed from my car. 'Where did they land? On the road? On the sidewalk? Did they light up anything nearby? Are they still sitting on the streets somewhere? Could this be one of the cigarette butts that I threw?' It suddenly occurred to me that it was a very nasty thing I did. I have been trashing cigarette butts everywhere! What a horrible person I am!" Freddie looked down while shaking his head.
"I cannot go back to pick up my cigarette butts. However, I can at least stop tossing more into the street. I smoked mostly when I was driving. If I am to not toss cigarette butts, it basically means I have to give up smoking. So, I did."
Freddie shrugged his shoulders as if it was not a big deal, but it blew my mind.
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