Can a person pinpoint the single worse decision of their life? I know I can pinpoint mine. Oh, I've made numerous choices that were questionable, but there is one that stands out like the south side of a goat facing north. That was the day I smoked my first cigarette. Blame could be cast here or there, but it was my choice. If I could, I would reverse that fateful decision. Unfortunately, there is no magical time machine that will allow me to go back. The easiest way to stop smoking is to never start. By identifying the underlying causes of why I started and the resulting effects, maybe someone who is presented with a similar situation might decide not to take that first puff. .
I became an addict after smoking my first cigarette. How could this be? I grew up in a family of smokers. To the best of my recollection, everyone smoked. Oh, there were a few oddballs in the family, but most everyone was lighting up at the family get-together's. In the 1960's people had never heard of the term second hand smoke. Unless I was outside playing, I was breathing in second hand smoke. Throughout the years my body was being primed. When I took a drag off of that first cigarette, I was hooked.
But, why did I take that first drag? I was working as a salesman at the local Kinney's Shoe store and was bored. It was located off of 83rd and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. If the store had been located in a mall, I may not have smoked that first one. But, a shoe store, situated so far from the hustle and bustle of the city, was not exactly a hotbed of the marketing world. In other words, it was a very slow paced work environment. One Saturday afternoon, I had finished all of my regular chores and was waiting for customers. I mentioned to a co-worker that I was bored. He said that when he was bored he would smoke a cigarette. He suggested that I have a smoke and offered me one of his. It is true what they say; idle hands are the devil's work.