 Why is it hard to stop smoking? How can those little sticks of leaves cause such hardship and have so much power?
The majority of people who smoke began in their teens because it was a cool thing to do, smoking helped you to be one of the "gang," everybody else did it so you didn't want to be left out, it was glamorous, helped you to look older, and so on. You probably also believed that you would only do it for a while and when you were ready to stop, you would. So what happened? 'Fear' of going without it the top reason people give in the decision to be free. I know - I used to smoke. Every night when I went to bed I told myself, "No more. Tomorrow I won't smoke. I am stopping now." In the morning I would 'need' a cigarette. I would then comfort myself by saying, "Oh well, now I've had one so I may as well smoke today. But, tomorrow… definitely!" And this went on for years.  Once upon a time.
In the beginning. There was a man/woman/dog. Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. Did you hear the one... Beginnings need to pull you in right from the start. Think of them like chat up lines but less sucky than, ‘do you come here often.’ Authors have told me of the stress caused by those first few words/lines. For some it becomes so crippling they gaze at the screen or sheet of paper and lament on the condition un-lovingly referred to as ‘writer’s block’. Well, I have a secret for you. You do not need to get it right or correct first time. In fact, and here’s the biggie, you do not even have to write the beginning at the beginning. There I’ve said it. My name is Barbara and I write out of order.  element1. a component or constituent of a whole or one of the parts into which a whole may be resolved by analysis.: bricks and mortar are elements of every masonry wall.
2. Chemistry. One of a class of substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means. 3. a natural habitat, sphere of activities environment etc.: to be in one's element; Water is the element of fish. Dictionary.com I am writing this is a taverna in Skala Eressos, Lesvos; sitting on a comfy sofa looking out to sea with a cat purring at my side and, of course, free wifi. My day began with a walk followed by a swim in the Aegean and as I bobbed about in the water looking back to the awakening village I felt a wave: literally and metaphorically, of feeling that I was truly in my element. |
Written by HerselfI write as the muse takes me and here is a blend of blog posts and articles. Archives
November 2020
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