~I Have A Blindfold For Sale~

     When I was a kid we played a game called: "Elevator to Heaven" at my grandmother's house.  The premise of the game was that you had died, probably from something like, "not looking both ways before you crossed the street" or "Sassed your mother one to many times" and you were going to be blindfolded, then taken to the elevator to heaven.  When you were walked around the corner, blindfolded, the tour person would tell you to please step up and into the elevator.  Then the tour person would make noises of doors closing, and would say, "You are now going up towards heaven."  And, "Opp!  The ceiling is getting close, you better kneel and pray for your soul."  While the tour guide was saying these things, the board you were standing on was lifted and jostled.  It was possible to hear the grunts and groans of the people lifting the board, and the occasional whispered, "Hurry up, I can't hold her over my head for much longer!" 

      At that stage of the game the tour guide would announce, "Uh-oh.  You don't get to go to heaven!  Jump!  Jump out of the elevator!"

    When I was the blindfolded person on the board, I believed that my uncles were holding me over their heads, and I knew that if I jumped I would get hurt.  My peeps chanted, "jump!  Jump!  You can do it!  Jump! Jump or the shoot will open and you will fall!"

    So I jumped.  And I was only three inches off the ground. But my body was prepared for a giant impact.  There was no giant impact, just a relieved sag towards the coveted earth.  When I removed the blindfold I giggled like the eight year old girl that I was, and immediately wanted to be the tour guide for the wave of kids behind me.

     Ladies and Gentlemen:  Quitting smoking is much like the elevator to heaven: I waited so long to take the plunge because I was afraid that it was really going to hurt after I jumped.  But you know what?  It's only thee inches to the ground. 

          

Comments

[Sharlene]

Color me inspired! After your comment about the book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" and prompt posting of being a nonsmoker I set out to buy the book. No book store in my town had it and Amazon said 2-5 weeks so I downloaded it. I am reading as we speak and already see my mindset changing instead of thinking OMG, this is going to be horrible, and of course I'll never want another drink or cup of coffee. Or how will I stand never smoking again. I'm thinking I can't wait till this is over. How nice will it be to not chase my kids away because I am smoking or imagine the day when I'm not looking at my watch in the movie theater to determine how much longer before I can get out and smoke, ahh, those will be the days :)

[Kim]

So glad you are doing well with it! Amazing how you can change your mindset and strip away all that crazy addictive thinking, isn't it? I'm about 230 days clean now!