Last updated on November 19, 2014
“Don’t fool yourself…you might die of smoke related cancer anyway, the damage is done, you can’t reverse it” that’s what a member of the support board wrote to me, after I posted how fantastic I felt. It upset me so much. How cruel, how rude! What is wrong with this guy? I just quit smoking 3 weeks ago and I am so proud of myself; I feel fantastic. “How dare he” I can do the math myself. Yes, I smoked for 35 years, so what are the odds? I thought about it some more…
I read an article a while back; it was about a woman dying of terminal cancer. She wasn’t a smoker, just a normal, middle aged woman with bad luck. She knew she would be dying soon, way too young and then she signed up at a gym and worked out. When they asked her “why” she said “I don’t want to die fat, I want to be thin in my coffin”! She said she struggled with weight all her life and she finally changed her lifestyle before she got diagnosed. Now she was eating healthy and loved to work out. She wanted to feel better about herself and wanted to fit in nicer clothes, she wanted to be more attractive…even in her coffin. She wanted to be able to do things, that she could’t do because she was so overweight. The fact that she had terminal cancer didn’t change her wish or her outlook. She went to the gym and followed her diet…she did it anyway!
I was flabbergasted. I was looking at her picture on my screen and I admired her. I mean seriously? She knows she has only a few months left and she goes to the gym and follows her diet! What would I do, if it would happen to me? Perhaps just say “screw it…where is the cheesecake, I am going to die fat and happy”?
That was a while back. I still think about her once in a while, I don’t know her and I will never meet her, but I wish her well. I hope she is still around and if not, I hope she left the way she pictured it. I hope she achieved her goal!
Reading that I might die of smoke related cancer anyway, made me think about her again. What would I do? What if I might be confronted with the same diagnosis one day? Would I change what I am doing right now. Would I continue my non-smoking journey, or would I just buy a pack of cigarettes and say “screw it…let’s smoke and die happy”?
How serious am I about my quit? How serious am I about being a non-smoker? I thought about it for a long time.
“Do it anyway” came to my mind.
The Paradoxical Commandments (Do It Anyway)
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down
by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
by Kent M. Keith
© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001
I added my own 11 commandment and I hope Mr. Keith doesn’t mind, it’s my own version now:
I fought so hard to be a non-smoker but I still might pay the price one day.
It won’t change a thing I will die as a non-smoker anyway.
So the answer to my above question is “Yes, I would do it anyway” and I am happy doing it. I will be victorious!
[…] “Don’t fool yourself, you can’t reverse the damage smoking has done and you might die from smoke related cancer as well” that’s what a guy at the support board wrote to me. I felt good that day, my head was in the clouds, oh it felt so good to be an ex-smoker and he pulled me back to Earth. He didn’t exactly pull me back, I fell back on the ground. First I thought it was rude, but it didn’t leave me alone. I even posted my point of few here on my blog earlier http://nonsmokingladybug.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/do-it-anyway-the-paradoxical-commandments. […]
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: “Even if I knew certainly that the world would end tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree today.” – Martin Luther
I nagged my late husband to quit smoking and he tried his best. Then he ended up with a form of cancer that had NOTHING to do with smoking. He threw his cigarettes in the river on the day he found out and never smoked again.
My husband still smokes..but he looks at me funny right now. I can tell he is thinking about quitting, I must make it look easy (I curse inside)
My dad quit 20 years ago after 30 years of smoking. My stepmother still smokes and it doesn’t bother him. Once you’ve quit, you’re DONE!
Lol..keep up the good example. You may just get him to quit.
Thank you! You are right, we all can be gone in the blink of an eye!
You are very kind!
An absolutely wonderful post. Good for you!! People forget they can walk out into the street at any time on any day and get hit by a car and die. Sounds pessimistic, but there is a reason that the saying “Live each moment like there will never be another one.” is true. You are doing a great job!