TBW Daily Diary

Tomorrow night at ten o'clock I will mark a milestone of sorts. It will have been a year since my last cigarette. I have not stopped smoking, I just haven't smoked for a while. That way I always have the prospect of indulging again without embarrassment . . . There have been times the last twelve months that I have run screaming through the house: I need a cigarette! Luckily the desire passes ever so quickly and I return to my senses . . . I am not one of those who nag others to quit even though, apparently, it was smoking that made my bladder cancerous and led to my radical surgery. Each person has to make that decision for himself and back when I was smoking I think the nagging simply made me defiant and contributed to my continued puffing . . . I would like to share a few observations, however, which will not be popular with the no-smoking advocates. Every doctor's office these days has a poster that provides reasons for giving up the weed. First, things will smell better and taste better. Frankly I have not experienced anything like that in the last twelve months. Things smell and taste the same. Second, you will have increased and longer-lasting energy. Not so in my case, though that may be because of the surgery. I find myself taking catnaps every afternoon. However, I do plan to be more active than I used to be, but the stamina isn't there. Finally, you will save a lot of money. That is probably true but where the heck are all those extra shekels? I am no richer than before . . . There are some positives: one's clothes don't smell so bad and one's rooms are cleaner too. No more overflowing ashtrays that need to be scrubbed. And no more worries about forgetting one's pack of smokes when one leaves the house . . . All in all it has not been too difficult for me; may it be the same for you some time, but don't count on it . . .