A question from Mrs G

[JD GUMBEE]

We were watching a video recently where a friend was basically leaving his own self-eulogy to his descendants.
Pretty heavy stuff.
He was smoking heavily. One right after another.
(Cancer, with an expected life of four to six months left.)
On the video, his old lady whined about him smoking...how it was not helping.
(This guy was about 300 pounds and loved red meat like a cat. He made 78 years old though...)

Mrs G quit smoking 30 years ago and then some.
Myself, when in my tractor trailer, I was a 2-3 pack a day chimney...but it has been more than 25 years otherwise.
(Mrs G did not allow trucking clothes in the house when I was driving. Had to toss them or launder them @ the laundromat. She would literally make me strip to skin and bag my clothing when I came home.)

She said she has no taste for it whatsoever since quitting.
Me? When I visit my redneck friend  down the road, I steal one from him. Every time.
Never lost the taste for it. Hate ashtrays and the smell after quitting...but never lost the taste.

Were I told I had a terminal illness...I mean, "YOU HAVE THREE MONTHS" kind of end date...
(my FIRST stop would be store for a carton of Marlboro. FIRST stop, no question.)

Her question:
Would YOU pick up the smokes again if you were going to be dead anyway in a few months?

 

[Firtree]

Never a smoker but when I’m told my ‘end date’ -weeks, 3 months, 6 months, my hours will be filled with the best homemade pies with tender flaky crust, premium ice cream and juicy steaks.

 

[WanderingRose]

I never smoked, but my late husband always said he could start again in an instant.   :s

 

[Almost There]

Almost a decade after I quit smoking I got myself in to a serious 'discussion' that had me so upset I reached for a cigarette. Same brand as what I had quit smoking - I took maybe 3 puffs and headed out the door trying to control the gagging and praying I wasn't going to throw up...


Have absolutely no desire to ever even try to smoke again!

It would be the last thing on my list if I was given a definitive life expectancy.

 

[B and C]

Been smoking (and drinking) since I was 14 and am 70 now. I see no reason to deprive myself this late in the game. Why would I want to torture myself? The only medication recommended by the Dr was an 85 mg aspirin a day.

 

[Blanch]

Quit smoking over 30 years ago and they still smell good.
If I was told I had little to no time left I’d be busy. I’d want to make sure my kids had no doubt I loved them, that I am sorry for the mistakes I have made. That they were always number one in my world, but that I am flawed and sometimes foolish.

I’d make sure my true friends knew who they were and how much I have appreciated them through the years. That I never would have survived without their friendship and love and understanding.

I’d make sure that my mother knew that I appreciate all she did and forgive all she didn’t do. That I love her, and that even though she wasn’t my biological mother sh was indeed MY mother.

I would not be spending time on foolish and selfish things like old bad habits, I’d be certain the people in my life who matter know how much they matter to me, before I die. I think they all already know this, but I’d want to be certain that they did before I passed.

My boys dad, the one man I truly loved, had lung cancer. He was a victim of NAFTA and the factory work he did all his life had disappeared along with the health benefits he got from that work. With weeks left to live from lung cancer and no help from healthcare or the government, he hung himself in his garage. It scarred us all. I’d die making sure no one wondered if I cared. I’d spend time making sure we all said what we had to say before my demise.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WanderingRose]

Good for you, Blanch.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Yeah, yeah yeah Blanch...but would you SMOKE while doing all that?



If you never go to sleep angry at your partner or loved ones, you will not need to go around cleaning up after yourself.

I could drop right this moment on my keyboard and none of the people in my life would wonder about any of what you posted.

They already know.

Judging by what you write and the way you respond to others, I seriously doubt it would be necessary in your case.
Seeing you say it, only increases my certainty of this.

(Then again, your kids and family could be self absorbed shitheads, who never have good enough parents or family members too...how would I know??) BWAAH hahaha

(That just caused decaf to hit the screen. HAD to leave it in there...bet some parents are nodding their heads about it too. Funny how our job is to create an independent adult, not coddle a little 30 year old infant...yet so many self-absorbed people presently in the 20-40 year old group fail to understand this.)

(In our case, the grandbabies are quickly heading to the adolescent years...there is a part of me (the evil part, I think) rubbing my hands together, laughing...and hoping I live long enough to ask her..."REMEMBER when YOU did that same thing??")
Those that laugh last...laugh best...and from all the evidence, her first born brought me pure faith in Karma...cause our daughter is REALLY in for a roller coaster ride through the teen years.

 

[Blanch]

No I wouldn’t smoke. Even grown kids learn from their parents example. Smoking is not an example I would be proud of. My stopping smoking is the example I am proud of.

I’d like to think I raised amazing humans. Time will tell. I know a lot of young adults struggle. Mine seem to be thriving. I am one lucky human and my life has been blessed.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ckelly78z]

I've tried cigs and hated them. I disliked the taste, the smell, the feeling that it gave me, the fog it put me in, and the money I spent. I won't allow anyone to smoke on my entire 10 acre property.

 

[cyndi]

Quit 5 years ago. Now, I can't believe how horrible the nasty things smell and some people. Did I smell like that? I hope not! I never smoked in a closed room and usually smoked outside.

I smell Phantom smoke, occasionally. There is no way it's real. But it smells good. I do get the urge to smoke when stressed or when I have the occasional cocktail. I have COPD and can't imagine I would be able to breathe if I did. When I get close to the end I fully intend on smoking. Just because.

 

[RoamerRV428]

hell yea I would pick up a cig. the stress alone of a Dr telling me I had a close end date means I would puff away!

but I don't need to pick one up....I am still a smoker

I am 'attempting to half azz quit' but not putting in the real effort tho.

My mom is 91. Perfect health actually! She smoked at 17 and quit at age 77.
Dad smoked from 16 to age 45. He quit then and passed at 86.

I think if I quit, then got an end date, yea I probably would want one again. Cause I quit for 4 yrs way back when younger, around 35 or so....and 4 yrs later on a ski trip in Canada, drunk as a skunk in the bar I bought a pack from a vending machine. Hooked instantly. I loved those suckers point blank. I didn't get the 'oh my god this is disgusting' feeling at all, I got the 'missed an old friend' feeling and started smoking again instantly.

so.....yea I would be smoking again if I did quit and then got the end date. why not if ya like it???