Once upon a journey

The road to quitting cigarettes (a vlog about a special place and a few thoughts about addiction and quitting)

Portrait of Smoking

I Remember

This montage includes notes and records of my smoking history for over 10 years. I started counting my daily smokes when I ended up in an emergency room coughing up a lot of stuff from my lungs in Jan 2003. The doctor listened to my lungs, asked the inevitable question; Do you smoke? I said yes. He said,"You will have emphysema if you do not quit." I said nothing. But I remembered.

I quit October 2 2013...so it took about ten years from that moment in front of the doc in the emergency room to the moment that I, as it turned out, would say goodbye to the cigarettes.

I tried once in 2009 on the spur of the moment. Even bought nicorette gum. I lasted 12 hours.

I keep these quit records as reminders of my smoking life.

Moments to quit cigarettes for





























I took this pic in 2013 of a field of flowers near my house. It was along a busy route I often traveled and still do today. This particular day I was in a dense mental fog-- nearing my quit date, feeling the squeeze and feeling beyond uptight. Still, I was caught by surprise to see a crowd of thriving sunflowers by the side of the road as I drove along the highway. I had to stop. They called. (Others stopped too). After gazing and taking a few pics, I then went on my way back into the fog of quitting. 


Every now and then, I reflect on the sunflowers that charmed me into stopping.  My rear view mirror tells me  I was lucky to quit, lucky to catch the sunflowers singing when I could not.

Smoking is an addiction, becoming a nonsmoker is a journey

Smoke Break

I often go downtown, sit in my car and gesture draw referencing those I see out and about town. One day I saw this woman on smoke break at a door stoop. This (the drawing) is all I saw of her at first. She was about 20-25 years old. Puffing, looking down the street and up the street. After her smoke was finished, she stepped out onto the walk, revealing that she was pregnant. 

Note to self: smoking is an addiction, 'nuff said.