We all have stress, hurts, traumas. grief, loss, and problems, these are part of life in this system of things. The important thing is how we deal with them. When I am blue, I choose to use a healthy coping mechanism, and for me it is music, art, movies, books, TV, exercise, talking, and prayer, and lots of healthy foods and supplements to support brain function and calming happy chemistry like omega 3 fatty acids. Whatever mistakes we make in life, I have learned, it doesn’t do us any good to hurt ourselves further, but to learn the lesson and grow from it. We are so easy to forgive others, we beat ourselves up and then subconsciously tell ourselves we are no good and don’t deserve to take care of ourselves and then use various destructive behaviors to numb the pain.

Sometimes I think it is better to wallow in that pain until we are sick of it and then move on. We are not going to feel better if we smoke, eat or drink too much, take drugs or whatever excessive behavior we use to distract ourselves from our frustration, anxiety, hurt or anger. We all want to just scream sometimes. Well scream into a pillow until you are spent and then take the advice we would give to someone else in our situation. No one is perfect, move on.

Cigarette companies are like vampires feeding off the life blood of its customers. They don’t care about you or your health, just your money. Smokers are being used, duped into making drug/cigarette companies rich. You certainly have the right to hand over your health and money to a “pusher”. You can be addicted, manipulated, and used all you want. The studies show that smoking destroys 85% of the health and lives of those addicted. As one human to another, I want something better for people than that.

The best way to quit is to smoke a little less each time. Nicotine is craved in the amount it is ingested. Take in a little less until you are down to one drag, then that is all you will crave. Don’t give in and you will detoxify shortly thereafter. Everyone has some kind of sickness, some of us have diseases beyond our control. Smoking is voluntary and is a waste of the gift of health. Some of us wish we were healthy enough to throw it away on the pleasure of being addicted to something. Best wishes on a happy and healthy life is what we all want for each other. Some people spend small fortunes taking care of themselves, other throw it away with both hands. My neighbor growing up now has emphezema, so many I know who smoked are spending their later years sick. It could have been avoided. Such is life. Most people wish they had never started smoking in the first place.

This morning I was reading the newspaper at an outdoor table at Ward Center. A young man nearby started smoking. The smoke went straight into my nose. I walked over to him and asked, “Could you please smoke somewhere else?” He muttered a combination of “Screw you” and “Uh” and went away. A few minutes later he returned to tell me that “People smoke here all the time.” I said, “Thanks for preparing me for future conversations I shall have.”

Five minutes later, another smoker arrived. I gestured to him that his smoke was bothering me. He smiled, gestured an apology, and left to smoke elsewhere.