What I Miss About Cigarettes

The one joy of smoking I may never get over

Photo by Amir SeilSepour from Pexels

I had my last cigarette on December 31st, 2018. I had been trying to quit all year to no avail. I would make it through a workweek sometimes, then on the weekend I would cave in and buy some Marlboro 27s. But I had to smoke the whole pack real quick so I could get back to trying to quit again.

That pattern went on ad nauseam. Then, after a particularly hellish December in which I felt my life was going nowhere, I realized I had to quit for good. Because I knew that if I could quit smoking, I could do anything. So I quit.

I don’t miss the smoke breaks at work.

I don’t miss cigarettes with my morning coffee.

I don’t miss the smell.

I don’t miss hiding the smell.

I don’t miss the effect of nicotine.

I don’t miss the addiction to nicotine.

I don’t miss the financial burden.

I don’t miss the shortness of breath.

But there’s one thing I do miss.

In Autumn, when it’s a brisk 65 degrees, when the leaves are turning and the sun is shining in the late afternoon, you sit in the shade on a patio with your jacket and a beer. You light a cigarette. It’s a…