I am a quitter... and I am proud of it.

Letter to Sons(Daddytalk) 

 Dearest Sons

Daddy is going to tell you a secret. A secret that even your grandparents are unaware of. I am not sure how this revelation will affect your life in the future, but I would like to be truthful to both of you. Hopefully, you may be able to earn a thing or two from Daddy's experience.

The Secret

You see Daddy was huffing and puffing literally for over 20 years of his life. He started experimenting with a group of classmates way back when he was still wearing shorts in secondary school, at a tender age of 15. Call it youthful curiosity, it was an experiment that escalates into a habit in his days in the army. Daddy used to think that having a piece of paper burning slowly in his hands is the epitome of cool ala James Dean ( ok pardon your Daddy, James Dean would probably be a relic by the time you realized what cool means)

As time goes on, the habit refused to go away. Many times I had tried to refrain from lighting up, but 11 out of 10 times ( including the one time in my dream) I failed to be strong. From one little puff a day, it becomes a habit of 10 sticks or even a packet a day, especially when stress was the perfect excuse for blackening my lungs. All these while, your grandparents are hidden in the dark. They might know or even caught a whiff, but to their credit, they allowed the son to be an adult and let him discover his own folly through time ( and it was indeed a long long time).This i

Was a secret they would know today. Sorry, Mom and Dad.

The Consequences

The effects could not be more obvious. Daddy developed bad skin and a semi-permanent pimple on the nose. Breath mints and Listerine became Daddy's staple food and drink to prevent the stinking breath. aftershave and perfumes were used to mask the lingering smell.

In addition, Daddy fitness deteriorated. From someone who can close 2.4 km in under 9 minutes in his teens, I had struggled to complete a 1 km run without stopping and catching a breath in the latter years. As I aged, I began to feel like I am 20 years older than I should. When the elder of you was born, I struggled to keep up with the boundless energy you have. When the older one began to walk and ran, I find myself wheezing and slumping into the seat after 5 minutes of playtime.

There were times I feel my heart pulsating and threaten to stop to rest. With the coming of the younger of you, I felt I need to take my life back. It's time to turn back the clock as the clock is ticking much faster than it should. I could not let me destroy my health, not when I need precious time to spend with both of you. I could not let it destroy me, not when I have yet discharge my duties as your Daddy.

I Quit

The decision was not easy, it took a lot of mental strength. After a period of 20 years, to discard a perpetual habit is akin to cutting off the left arm, albeit a rotting one. The irony is that it may actually save me in the longer run, ridding the rot and giving me a chance to live the life that I should.

You gave me the courage to face up to reality. You gave me the will to break the mental barriers that constantly block my passage to a healthier life. You made me choose... and I choose you, I choose Life.

Thank you, boys.

After nights of chills that lasted into weeks, the ordeal had ended. Miraculously after these weeks of punishment, the air became crisp, the taste buds return and I can finally breathe for hours without an accompanying palpitating heart. Furthermore, Daddy smells nicer these days, or so Mommy says. The skin also improves, but alas potholes from the past remain.

Playtime with you guys are much more fun when I can chase you little monsters around. No more big bad wolf huffing and puffing, trying to blow the house down with the unceasing coughing and wheezing. The bonus is that Daddy has saved money to the tune of $3650 per year or $73000 *over the next 20 years. A princely figure as that amount could provide a college education for you. Truth is, I had already wasted the same or more over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, I would have also saved on a huge amount that would otherwise be spent my health, or the lack of it if I had continued. So hurrah to that.

2 years and 10 kg heavier (food taste yummier without the numbing smoky aftertaste), I am proud to say that I am a Quitter.

Daddy hopes that none of you would take the same path. Don't be a quitter like Daddy in this aspect. Be the person who would not start in the first place.

Be someone greater

Love Your Daddy, the non-smoker.

*$10 for one pack a day is equal to $3650 per year

A Movement by HPB

For those looking to do the same, join the quitters on 1st June. For inspirations, check-in at I Quit Club on Facebook.Here is a look at what you can look forward to when you quit.

The benefits of quitting

To those who are thinking about quitting the habit...

Go ahead. Quit... while you still have a chance to.

I quit in June 2011.