GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting (or want to support quitters), please - join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links. Check it out! Want to make sure you never miss us? Follow the GUS tag to keep GUS in your Stream.
A message to all quitters: you don't have to avoid GUS if your latest attempt to quit didn't work out. We won't give you a bad time and we consider the attempted quits as "practice" for the real quit.
Is there anyone here who's got it all figured out? Anyone cracked the code, met every challenge, exceeded all their goals? Anyone at all here who has attained that state of perfection so many of us strive for, but never quite seem to reach?
C'mon, show of hands!
Anyone?
Anyone?
No?
Well, that's because most of us -- I'd go out on a limb and say "all of us," but I don't want to risk dissing the rare paragon of perfection that walks among the rest of us mortals -- are still trying to figure things out and get it right.
Most of us are works in progress.
And that's okay. In fact, it's pretty normal. For most of us, reaching our goals is a perpetual work in progress. We carry around a virtual To-Do List that we recognize on some level will never be quite finished, and we go about the business of living despite that fact. We joke about "Bucket Lists" but few of us actually try to create one and cross off every item (though many of us are lucky enough to cross off a few).
We live in fits and starts. We go from calm to crisis, experience great highs and crushing lows, or get stuck in low gear and can't seem to extricate ourselves. We go from zero to sixty and back again, sometimes all in the same day. It's hard to attain perfection when the Universe seems intent on making things difficult for us (or when we seem intent on making things difficult for ourselves...hey, it happens!), but most of us muddle through and learn to accept "good enough" when "perfect" is out of reach.
Except when we don't.
What's that old saying? "It's about the journey, not the destination?" I think they may be onto something there. While goals are good (certainly useful, and sometimes quite necessary), I don't think that they should always be our primary focus, or represent some ultimate state of achievement. A lot of us have blinders on when it comes to the goals we set for ourselves; we focus so hard on some imagined state of perfection we'll reach when our goals are met, when everything's perfect, that we ignore what's going on along the way.
We ignore warning signs that things might be derailing, or that we need to seek support as we go along.
We fail to take pleasure in our smaller, less showy day-to-day achievements. We don't take the time to pat ourselves on the back or seek out positive reinforcements for the little stuff. We don't celebrate the minor victories.
We beat ourselves up for slipping or backsliding.
We judge ourselves harshly, or imagine others are doing so. Some of us try to beat others to the punch; we pass judgment on ourselves to save others the trouble.
We hold ourselves to some impossible standard of perfection, and then feel let down when we never quite reach it.
In short, we fail to recognize that we, and our lives, are a work in progress.
Sometimes, we just need a little reminder of that, a reminder we should cut ourselves a little slack.
Consider this your reminder.
Behold the super-fantastic GUS Team:
1BQ, 3rdGenFeminist, Abra Crabcakeya, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alexi Hershey, Alise, Alpha99, A Man Called Gloom, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, awkawk, b4uknowit, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, BlueJessamine, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, buddabelly, burrow owl, BusyinCa, Carol in San Antonio, CathodeRay, cee4, Cen Den, ChocolateChris, ChurchofBruce, cinnamondog, citizenx, Cleante, Code Monkey, Coldblue Steele, Colorado is the Shiznit, coloradomomma, commonmass, Common Sense Mainer, congenitalefty, coppercelt, dadanation, dangoch, Dauber, Dauphin, demkat620, Dexter, Diana in NoVa, Dickie, DiegoUK, Dingodude, dirtdude, distraught, djMikulec, dolfin66, donnamarie, Donna O, dotsright, DRo, droogie6655321, duckhunter, Eclectablog, Eddie C, EdgedInBlue, effervescent, elbamash, El barragas, el vasco, ericlewis0, Everest42, Ex Con, fhamme, Fineena, fiona2, fishhawk, Flea, FlipperWaves, flumptytail, fritzi56, FrugalGranny, Garrett, Gator, gchaucer2, Geiiga, Georgianna Darcy, glpaul, GN1927, gooderservice, gooners, gravlax, greylox, grndrush, GrumpyWarriorPoet, gzodik, Haole in Hawaii, HappyinNM, henlesloop, HeyMikey, hideinplainsight, High Tide, hiliner68, hold tight, hulibow, I love OCD, Im a frayed knot, imisa, Indexer, indubitably, indyada, Interceptor7, inventor, I said GOOD DAY sir, itsbenj, Jahiz, JamesEB, janl1776, JayinPortland, jayjaybear, jbou, Jeffersonian Democrat, jmadlc55, jmonch, Joe's Steven aka Steven, john07801, johngoes, jsfox, JVolvo's Mom, jwinIL14, kai99, kailuacaton, kat herder, Kelly of PA, kestrel9000, khloemi, Khun David, Kitsap River, kittania, Kodiak54, Kristina40, Ksholl, LABWITCH, Lady Kestrel, ladypockt, Lahdee, langerdang, LarsThorwald, LA rupert, last starfighter, LaughingPlanet, Laurie Gator, Lipstick Liberal, litoralis, lmdonovan, lockewasright, longislandny, luvsathoroughbred, maggiemay, magicsister, mango, Marc in KS, marknspokane, maryabein, Matt Esler, mdemploi, Micburke, michael1104, MillieNeon, Minerva1157, MinervainNH, Missys Brother, mjbleo, MnRaindog, Morague, Mr Bojangles, mrsgoo, mskitty, msmacgyver, MsWings, nannyboz, ncsuLAN, NearlyNormal, Nedsdag, Nick Zouroudis, notgivingup, NY brit expat, one pissed off democrat, operculum, OrangeMike, Ordvefa, OverTheEdge, pager, paige, PaintyKat, paradox, parryander, Pennsylvanian, phrogge prince, Positronicus, post rational, Proud Mom and Grandma, psycho liberal, ptolemynm, Purple Priestess, PvtJarHead, racheltracks, randallt, real world chick, red mittens, Reepicheep, regis, relentless, revelwoodie, revsue, Rex Manning, rexymeteorite, RiaD, rickeagle, ridemybike, rightiswrong, rincewind, rkex, roadlion, Roger Fox, Rosebuddear, roses, rscopes, Rudini, Safina, SallyCat, Sark Svemes, sboucher, scooter in brooklyn, Scrapyard Ape, seenaymah, sfbob, sgary, Shahryar, sheddhead, Shifty18, shmuelman, shopkeeper, slowbutsure, smartcookienyc, smeesq, snoopydawg, snorwich, SnyperKitty, SoCalHobbit, sofia, soonergrunt, sostos, sowsearsoup, SpecialKinFlag, spmozart, spotDawa, SpotTheCat, StateofGrace, Statusquomustgo, stiffneck, sunbro, Super Grover, tallmom, Tay, tdslf1, teknospaz, theatre goon, The Eyewitness Muse, TheGeneral, TheStoopingRabbit, TigerMom, tiredofcrap, TomP, tonyahky, Toyotabob7, Treefrog, triciawyse, trs, trueblueliberal, ttanner, Tulsonian, Turn VABlue, Turtle Bay, Tyto Alba, uc booker, UncleCharlie, Unduna, Unforgiven, ursoklevar, USArmyParatrooper, VA02 femocrat, Vacationland, valadon, Vayle, Vetwife, vgranucci, waytac, webranding, weelzup, Wes Opinion, Whimsical Rapscallion, willy be frantic, willy mugobeer, Wood Dragon, wolfie1818, Wordsinthewind, Wreck Smurfy, x, xopher, yet another liberal, Zotz
Had some experience with the effects of smoking?
Has your life been affected by smoking or smokers in your life?
Feel like providing a supportive place for quitters and would-be quitters to hang out?
If so, we would love to have you write a GUS diary or host an open thread! Please sign up in the Butt Can (Tip Jar), and name the day and time that works for you (AM, PM, late-night, early-bird, lunchtime, whatever...)
Diarists in regularly-scheduled time slots are listed in bold.
Mon PM: Vacationland (You Are Here)
Tue AM: Open
Tue PM: aoeu
Wed AM: Open
Wed PM: LABWITCH (If she is well enough to host?)
Thu AM: FrugalGranny
Thu PM: Open
Fri AM: flumptytail
Fri PM: Open
Sat AM: effervescent
Sat PM: ChocolateChris (Open Thread/Countdown to GUS's 2nd B-Day)
Sun AM: Open
Sun PM: Open
Mon AM: Open
Help!! As you can see, lots of room on the schedule! If you can spare a few hours, please consider hosting...one of those slots is surely calling your name. Not sure where to start? Go here to find out how to write a GUS diary the easy way, or just ask for help in the Butt Can!