A New Lease on Life

There comes a time in every person's life when he or she must make a decision that can, ultimately, be life-altering.

On October 13, 2007, I made one such decision. I quit smoking.

This was prompted by a number of reasons. I'd like to say that foremost among them was the fact that I wanted to live many more (and healthier) years with my wife, or that seeing my children and grandchildren come of age was paramount; however, I'd be lying.

The main reason I quit smoking is because I was scared. Not the creepy chill you get when you watch a horror movie, or the thrill that you feel cheating death on a rollercoaster. No, this was outright terror of the sweaty palmed, trapped in a corner kind.

You see, while running some tests for another reason, it came to the attention of my physicians that there was an "anomalous spot" about the size and shape of my thumb in the upper part of my left lung. They didn't say so, but the speed with which they got me in to see a pulmonologist (lung specialist) seemed to spell the big "C" to me.

To make a long story short...a month later, and many more tests completed, and I've been given a positive outlook for my lungs. My blood pressure is perfect, my heart seems healthy, and I don't have any lung disease.

But I'm still overweight and forty-eight...but working on the first, and resigned to the second.

And, as of today, I've been smoke-free for thirty-one days. With, hopefully, a nice long life to look forward to being a recovering smoker.

And so it goes...