Leaving old things behind can be a painful experience. When I was a boy I didn't notice that which I was leaving behind with much clarity, because that which was yet to be was so enticing. Expectation and anticipation are the the animators and the birth right of the young.
As we move through our lives, we find that in some ways, the reality of our experiences are somewhat different from that which we anticipated. And why not? All future events must always live in our imagination. We have not yet crossed the bridge which seems so enticing in our preexperiential minds. It is only after we have actually set foot upon the river crossing that we know what it all feels like. And so too is it only upon reaching the other side that we can understand the nature of the journey that we have made. We now know what it was like to approach the bridge. We know the feel of it under our feet and once across we can look back upon it with a sense of pride that only comes from doing a thing that formerly resided in our immagination.
Becoming victorious over an addiction is very much like crossing a preconceived bridge. When we smoked, we saw that bridge in our minds. Although we could see the bridge, we feared crossing over and instead of following our immagination we lived huddled up on the other side clothed in guilt, fear and seperated from our own liberation by a thin blue veil of smoke.
I know how difficult it can seem to actually rid ourselves of this horrid addiction. I lived on the other side of the bridge for a long, long time. I eyed the span with a sense of self loating and inadequacy that kept me frozen, inactive and addicted. And I will not say that it was easy to begin shedding the garments of fear. But as time went by and I did my best to look at the reasons for my addiction, I was empowered to seek my own way out of the prison that I had created. That is why I know now that it is possible to cross over. And that is why I now know that you can do this as well. However painful the rebirthing process may be always, remember that your freedom does not have to live in your immagination. You have the power to shed the bonds that keep you from making real that which is now a desire. All we must do is seek to make that which is immagined manifest in the present. Day by day, crave by crave, the journey will become easier to bear. And one day soon you will know for sure what it is like to cross over that bridge.
nonic
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/25/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 447
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 13,410
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $4,693.50
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 83 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 27 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1
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Quit Meter
$68,691.00
Amount Saved
-
Quit Meter
Days: 1417
Hours: 7
Minutes: 58
Seconds: 3
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
6542
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
196,260
Cigarettes Not Smoked