Greetings from Pike Road, Alabama. Today is day three of a nine day vacation, and it is so nice to be here at my parents' place on a perfect-weather Labor Day. The weather could not possibly be more beautiful. The sun is shining and the breeze feels like velvet. The air is so clean. It's great to be here and not smoking.

This marks my first smoke-free road trip on this quit. I've taken many road trips before, and measured most of them with cigarettes. I got into the habit of smoking one cigarette an hour, to keep from smoking so much that I arrived at my destination with a sore throat. One smoke per hour got to be a real rhythm that I enjoyed, and I would incorporate other hourly activities, too, to keep from getting bored--chewing gum, listening to music, eating, drinking, singing, whatever I could think of.

So the idea of going on a road trip sans cigarettes was a bit daunting. But the 13-hour first leg of this trip went smoothly. It seemed shorter than the last time I made this trip, whenever that was (a couple of years ago, I think.) And I don't have a sore throat.

There were a few times on the way when I would catch myself fantasizing about smoking. I would think of people I knew who smoked and looked cool doing it, or the comraderie I would feel smoking, and then have to catch myself and say, "Wait a minute, it also made me miserable, stinky, broke, and an outcast..." Still, I had to actively turn my mind around about it. If I'm on autopilot, I'm vulnerable.

My Mom is glad to see me and my boyfriend not smoking. I don't have to feel guilty when I give her a hug. I don't have to feel bad about flicking butts into the yard, or digging around in cabinets looking for ashtrays or matches. I didn't feel like rushing out of church to light up yesterday. I don't feel rushed at all, which is wonderful.

Well, the breeze is calling to me. I'm going to take a walk in this beautiful weather.

Here's wishing you a smoke-free day, whether it's a happy one or it's all you can do not to smoke.

More quit links:

http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/tipsforquitting/a/johnryan.htm

A good article about the socially-ingrained psychological aspects of quitting smoking and the tricks your mind will play.

http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/oneyearsmokefree/a/larrysoneyear.htm

Larry's story (and several stories from folks who have successfully quit for more than one year.)