On Quitting

I am not actively trying to quit smoking at the moment.  I have before, with mixed results, and I probably will again. 

My poor wife wants to quit.  She has tried on numerous occasions, but nothing seems to work.  Well, Chantix did, but the weird side effects made the cure worse than the disease.

My personal opinion is that while quitting is damn near impossible, not smoking is easy as pie.  Even the most dedicated two-pack-a-day smoker spends the majority of his time without a cigarette in his mouth.

I know – it’s sort of a Zen approach - but if you can get your mind around it, the trick is not to quit, but to simply not smoke.  Quitting requires total dedication, effort and will power.  Not smoking, like not doing anything else, requires nothing at all.

Of course, Honey will tell you that this approach is absurd – like telling someone to not think of elephants.

On Quitting

by Edgar Guest

How much grit do you think you've got? 
Can you quit a thing that you like a lot? 
You may talk of pluck; it's an easy word, 
And where'er you go it is often heard; 
But can you tell to a jot or guess 
Just how much courage you now possess? 


You may stand to trouble and keep your grin, 
But have you tackled self-discipline? 
Have you ever issued commands to you 
To quit the things that you like to do, 
And then, when tempted and sorely swayed, 
Those rigid orders have you obeyed? 


Don't boast of your grit till you've tried it out, 
Nor prate to men of your courage stout, 
For it's easy enough to retain a grin 
In the face of a fight there's a chance to win, 
But the sort of grit that is good to own 
Is the stuff you need when you're all alone. 


How much grit do you think you've got? 
Can you turn from joys that you like a lot? 
Have you ever tested yourself to know 
How far with yourself your will can go? 
If you want to know if you have grit, 
Just pick out a joy that you like, and quit. 


It's bully sport and it's open fight; 
It will keep you busy both day and night; 
For the toughest kind of a game you'll find 
Is to make your body obey your mind. 
And you never will know what is meant by grit 
Unless there's something you've tried to quit.