I couldn't believe it. My daughter and son-in-law invited my wife and I to join them for dinner at our favorite local Italian Restaurant to celebrate my wife's birthday and the one-month anniversary of my quitting smoking. When they came into the restaurant where we were waiting for them, my two grandchildren ages seven and eleven, fresh from their Saturday afternoon soccer games, and still in their uniforms, ran over and gave me a kiss and my wife a bunch of yellow roses, I noticed immediately that they smelled real stinky and the roses smelled great. I was so happy because now that I have stopped smoking, I can smell things again and I smell good too. I feel so much better. It's like a miracle.

I want to let you in on the secret that made things start smelling good again for me.

I quit smoking. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't easy to quit at first. I was worried that after smoking for more than forty years, I wouldn't be able to do it, but I quit smoking and you can too. You are never too old to quit smoking.

I was amazed that I had the willpower and the strength to finally quit smoking. I don't know who was more surprised, my wife or me. I have to tell you that I am quite proud of myself, and you can be too because you can successfully fight your cravings to smoke.

If you are like me, you are a do it yourself type of person. I'm used to making my own decisions and quitting smoking was no exception, but this was a major change in lifestyle that I was contemplating and to tell the truth I was scared that I couldn't do it.

Wouldn't you like your clothes to stop smelling of cigarette smoke?

About a week after I quit smoking I took all the clothes in my closet to the cleaners. I couldn't stand the way they smelled. Can you imagine how my wife must have felt all those years when I was smoking and stinking up the place? But why worry about the past. This is a new beginning for my family and I and it can be a wonderful new beginning for you.

All you need is the faith in yourself that you can quit. Don't worry if you question whether you are strong enough to stop. You don't have to do this alone. You can have the comfort and support of quit smoking patches and quit smoking help lines to help make your transition to a smoke free success story possible if you are worried you can't do it on your own.

No more sneaking outside for a smoke at your children's house. No more blowing the smoke out the window at home so it doesn't go over to your wife's side of the sofa when you are watching TV. No more finding an excuse to get up from the dinner table early so that you can smoke. No more trying to hide your coughing or that you are short of breathe. You can break the habit that has been running and ruining your life for years. You can do it.

What I needed to get started was the security of knowing that I could quit smoking without experiencing terrible cravings or withdrawal symptoms. That's the security and peace of mind that a patch can provide you with. It can smooth your passage to being an ex-smoker. It can help make the transition easy. For some people, just knowing that the patch is there is enough to give them the courage to quit. That's what I did. I quit cold turkey, but I had the security of having a quit smoking patch available if I needed it. I also had a patch of faith. I never used the quit smoking patch, but I needed all the faith I could muster.

Do you remember how great you felt when you were young and didn't smoke? Wouldn't you like to feel that way again? When was the last time you could smell the roses? When was the last time food tasted really good to you?

Wouldn't you like your food to taste good again?

Wouldn't you like your grandchildren to stop bugging you to stop smoking? Wouldn't you like to be a hero in their eyes? Wouldn't you like to live long enough to enjoy your grandchildren? Don't you want to set a good example? Wouldn't you like to be able to smell and taste things again? I have to tell you that the spaghetti with meatballs I ordered at dinner with my grandchildren that night tasted terrific.

How Many times Have You Tried To Quit Before?

If you are like me, there have been times in your life when you really considered quitting smoking, but for one reason or another you didn't, or you started to quit and stopped. Maybe you were too stressed. Maybe you were under financial pressure. Maybe you were experiencing personal problems. Maybe you just didn't feel it was urgent to quit, but it is urgent because your health may be at stake. Maybe you didn't have a quit smoking patch available to give you the security to make your quitting easier.

In my case I made all kinds of excuses to myself like, I don't really smoke that much, I can quit anytime I want, and if I quit I will gain weight. I gained weight anyway because I didn't feel good about myself, but now that I have quit I am losing the extra weight -because I can breathe freer and exercise more. I always had a bunch of excuses ready to keep me from quitting, but there really is no excuse.

Whatever the reason, it is urgent to quit now because your health is at stake. It's urgent for the well being of your spouse and your family. Don't forget those stinky grandchildren. They have a right not to breathe in second hand smoke when you come to visit, don't they? I hope that the thought of their wellbeing will propel you to quit now.

It was really terrible. The cigarettes were controlling me.

I would have to have a cigarette as soon as I woke up in the morning. Before I went to bed I would count my cigarettes to be sure I had enough until I went out in the morning to get the newspapers. I would even go out to get cigarettes in a snowstorm if I ran out.

Let's face it, nicotine is an addiction, and it is clever enough to give your mind a bunch of excuses as to why you shouldn't quit smoking. Don't let those excuses lead to a lifetime of addiction.

In my case when the craving for nicotine started to take hold of me, I would tell my brain to shut up, that it wasn't going to get its fix today, but in a few days it would start to feel better. I'm afraid I even shouted this out loud a few times because the first few days were like a haze, but it was worth it.

Are you ready to start feeling good about yourself?

I have faith in you. Do you have enough faith in yourself to try? This is a call to action to take control of your life and stop smoking. You can do it. You can change your life. You can start to feel better. You can quit smoking now. Are you ready to start feeling good about yourself again? Are you ready to rediscover how good things can smell and taste? Are you ready to give your stinky grandchildren a hug?

When you quit smoking you can expect that within a short period of time you will:

∑ Breathe Easier

∑ Feel Better

∑ Stop Coughing

∑ Get Back Your Sense of Smell

∑ Be Able To Taste Food Again

∑ Have Your Clothes Smell Good

∑ Be Proud of Yourself

And most important, your circulation will start to improve immediately and your lungs begin to repair damage. You don't have to take my word for it, that's what the American Lung Association says.

Seize The Moment

I urge you to seize the moment. Stop feeding your mind a bunch of excuses. You can do it. Do it for yourself. Do it for your grandchildren. Do it for your whole family. Do it now. Quit smoking.

Aren't you tired of having cigarettes control your life? I was, that's why I finally decided to quit. It didn't hurt that I discovered that even people over fifty could add years to their lives by quitting. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it's your life.

∑ Did you know that within twenty minutes of quitting your heart rate calms down?

∑ Did you know that within eight hours of quitting there is more oxygen in your blood, mucus begins to clear out of you lungs and this makes breathing easier?

∑ Did you know that within forty-eight hours things smell and taste better?

It's up to you. It's your life.

When was the last time you could climb up four flights of stairs, or take a ten-block walk, or chase after your grandchildren without feeling out of breath?

In the final analysis it is what you want and what you desire that counts. If you truly want to quit smoking, I believe that you can. If you really want to make your family happy and give yourself the opportunity to live a longer healthier life, then quitting smoking now is the thing to do.

P.S. Don't forget those stinky grandchildren. They are counting on you being around for a long time to come so act now, and start to feel and look younger almost immediately.

Please feel free to use this article as long as credit is given to the resource box. © Copyright Arthur Levine 2006 Keywords: Quit Smoking, New Middle Age, Fifty Plus, Faith Words: 1729