It’s really that important. Yes, the cancer. Yes, the hacking. Yes, the dentures. More than that though, I’m that important.
I’m not a smoker. (I mean, right now.) I’m a quitter, and I don’t want to be a smoker. I want to be a hiker, a biker, a swimmer, a kayaker, and dog-walker, a river-rafter, a get-things-done-er. Deep down, I’m not a smoker. I may have worn that label off and on (mostly on) over the last fourteen years (Holy #$%@! 14 years?!), but my soul is not that of a smoker.
I may want a cigarette right now, but I don’t want to be a smoker. So I have to be more important. You have to be more important to yourself as well. It can’t be just about the cancer, the hacking, not even the potential dentures… it has to be about you (and me). I’m talking about the person we really and truly are. The one that goes out and does stuff. The one that has the energy (and lung capacity) to fill afternoons and evenings with adventures, and projects, and joy.
When I am a smoker, I’m tired, I’m lazy, I’m apathetic. When I’m not, I’m bright, I’m creative, I’m full of energy. That’s who I really am. That’s who I want to be. And that will be the knowledge I carry with me through tonight.
*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.