As of today, I’m terminating my silence. My 29 days of mainly Meditation, Yoga and two forms of Tai Chi exercises are complete. This doesn’t mean I’ll stop them altogether, because I won’t.
I have been practicing meditation for 45 years now. The key word is practicing because it can take a lifetime to perfect the art of Meditation. I’ve practiced the Tai Chi forms for 29 years and I’m still not really good at them either.
I’m a newcomer to Yoga practice, just 7 years now. I think I’m better at the Yoga forms I do than I am at Meditation or Tai Chi. That doesn’t mean I’m really expert at Yoga, it only means I’m not as bad at Yoga as I am at Meditation and Tai Chi. That aside, I’m still practicing all three disciplines and likely continue as long as my body permits.
The reason for my spiritual journey was to break my two worst habits, they being drinking and smoking. I don’t miss the beer at all for some reason. I still miss smoking and likely will for the rest of my life. I had quit smoking before for 37 years until I retired and picked up the habit again. I doubt I’ll be alive for another 37 years and it’s likely I’ll want to smoke for the rest of my life, as I wanted to for those 37 years of non-smoking. I had quit drinking for 3 years once, until a Thanksgiving celebration when someone there suggested I should try a taste of an alcoholic beverage. That wouldn’t hurt. I began my drinking that day and have been doing so for years since that day, until 29 days ago.
Nicotine addiction is just that, addiction. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a bit easier to set aside unless you are truly an alcoholic. Over my life, I've quit cigarettes for several years only to start again, then quit again, maybe 3 different times. Then it was cigars, start and quit. I know it would be easy to start smoking again, so I just don't. I still drink, though not daily, and have been successful with a couple of dry January's. Good job, your body will continue to reward you for avoiding these pesky habits.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing I've discovered. Good habits are as hard to break as bad.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous you obviously know what I have been through in my many years. Nicotine is such a powerful addiction. I, like you have stopped and started smoking many times. I saw a comment once that stated, "it's easier to quit hard drugs than it is to quit smoking." I don't know about that, but I know all too well smoking is a very difficult habit to break. The desire to light up a smoke never goes away. I quit for 37 years at one point, but the day I retired, I lit up a cigarette and it was like I had never quit for all those years.
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