August 22nd is the day I quit smoking [View all]

So long ago that I can't remember for certain the exact year, but I can reconstruct it.

It was the year my first wife became pregnant with my first born son. He was born in 1986, so it must have been 1985.

So it was 40 years ago.

I remember thinking I needed to do something to make sure I would be alive to see my grandchildren.

I had tried quitting so many times before but always caved in to the habit after a few months.

This time was different. I put a full unopened carton of cigarettes on the kitchen counter. I told myself I could have a cigarette any time I wanted. All I had to do was break open the carton, take out a pack pull a cigarette from it.

Every day for the next year I would walk into the kitchen, see the carton, and decide I could wait one more day.

Days became weeks, weeks became months, and one year later I took the full carton and dropped it in the trash unopened.

A lot has happened since then. I now have one grandchild and a second one on the way. Along the way, I adopted a Russian boy who is now married and has two children of his own. I've remarried and my second wife has six grandchildren who call me grandpa.

I have annual checkups and each time a shadow shows up in one of my lungs; damage from my younger smoking days. A touch of emphysema that is stable and not growing.

I'll die someday but it looks like lung cancer is not in the cards for me.

Best decision I ever made.