Hello All:
It has been a rather long night here. Irene has just passed through and most of the folks around me have been up most of the night. In this area, damage has been rather light. The bridge across the nearby river is out and water is making its way across what used to be the road. My neighbor next door now has a whole in his roof and a tree upon the house. We have been busy clearing limbs around it and taking pictures for the insurance company. But no one was hurt and the damage will be cleared in good order. So I suppose we are all rather fortunate here.
Oh yes, I did find a young robin wandering around...He apparently was dislodged from his nest during the storm. He looks a bit confused, but he appears to be of an age that will allow him to survive until he learns to fly. I believe that they normally spend 4 or 5 days on the ground in any case before that happens. I did notice that one of the parents was sitting on the roof watching. I believe he will be alright.
That robin did put in the mind of thinking about what is going on here at the support group though...Like my little friend here, we are all seeking change. The young robin must change, because he has been thrust into the activity by forces beyond his comprehension. He must learn to fly or die. And we too seek change.
Now we have not been thrust upon the ground by nature's fury, but we have been propelled here by our own inner forces. And those forces can pack an equally mighty punch. When we seek cessation, we are seeking change. And that can be very difficult. Humans don't seem to like change. We can desire things, yes. We often look out upon the world and imagine ourselves doing something different. Becoming this or that or the other thing. And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact it is an essential part of the human experience. But where we get in trouble is that we want to do it, but we also desire to stay within our comfort zones while achieving our aspirations.
I remember reading Alan Carr's book early on in my own quit. At one point he relates the story of a man, who while struggling with addiction said (paraphrase here)..."I could quit if I could just smoke while I am doing it"...The absurdity of that statement is apparent to any casual observer. But the sad truth about it is that the statement made perfect sense to the man. To me this is a prime example of how deeply rooted our shared addiction is.
I believe that the way to cessation comes from within. "Often the reason that we find change so difficult is because we want to change something, that we have never given enough disciplined and focused attention to, to understand why we have thought and behaved as we do". We must, if we are to succeed, declare to ourselves that we want to make ourselves better. We desire freedom over servitude. We recognize that to continue to smoke is to remain within our comfort zone.
My wee robin friend would, if he could, concur. Because one day soon, he will lift his wings at just the right angle, turn into the wind and soar as high as he likes. He will become what ever robins are destined to become.
stay well
nonic
But we made it through.
