The 8th Day of Christmas

I found a colorful surprise in the bread tin. Doesn't this look a bit like Noro Silk Garden? I started sneezing and coughing. But the hacking was not from the bread mold, it's from not smoking.

At risk of saying much more... I have not had a cigarette in 8 days. I actually started the process two weeks prior. My last cigarette was from a stale Venezuelan pack that I stashed away in my sock drawer four years ago. I took the nicotine gum out of the freezer and made a list of things that inspire my smoking.

I had to disassociate myself from certain behaviors like meeting up for beer, hanging out over coffee, and oddly enough knitting. I even walked home a different way.

Day 3 was the hardest — I would have stabbed a man in the eye for his cigarette. But after that I didn't miss it as much. I have noticed that I often run short on energy but I've been advised to expect it for two weeks.

I actually don't like nicotine gum, it reminds me of when I got into a regular "Skoal" and "chaw" habit (Colorado circa '83). But for a short while, fits of uncontrollable coughing, ruthless chewing, and being a shut-in will be a part of my life. I'm slowly putting myself back into familiar settings. I even made myself a new hat — a simple watchman's cap ("Savanna" GGH Yarn).

So on this 8th night, Christmas Eve, I celebrate with friends. Tomorrow Stephanie and I are making dinner for her parents.