The Peaceful Crusader – New York Times (registration req’d)
How do we find peace in this troubled world? It is not enough to speak of peace – we must be peace.
When I quit smoking in January 2003, it was my second attempt to stop that two-pack-a-day habit I had picked up when I was a dot-commer. I did research to learn about how nicotine is metabolized in the body, and how the cravings worked. What I learned is that it takes approximately 72 hours for the store of nicotine to be processed out of the body, and that while it’s happening, the body will crave it for about 5 minutes at a time every couple of hours, and that the “jonesing” feelings and behaviors that linger on beyond the actual craving are all psychological.
Armed with that knowledge, I decided that instead of fighting the sensations, I would embrace it, knowing that those 5 minutes of want were a sign of my body cleansing itself. Each time I felt the desire to smoke, I would say to myself “I am a non-smoker,” or “I don’t smoke,” and after a few minutes, the sensation would pass. Three days later, I became a non-smoker again, and my body normalized, finding balance.
Embracing the desires of our better nature, even though there may be some discomfort, is an ultimately worthwhile thing to do. In the case of my smoking, I knew that I was starting massage school upon my return from Fiesta de los Osos that January, and that I couldn’t be a body worker who smoked, so I went through that purge to make it through school and to serve others better into the future.
Through that embrace, I made peace with myself, and a tiny bit of peace with the world. Everyday, I try to find another morsel of peace for myself.
Today and everyday, I wish you peace.
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