How I quit smoking! Part 2

I thought I was fairly well rounded in life experiences; well, most of them. I mean I made it through the 70's without a bike helmet, I had lead paint on every single wall and I never used hand sanitizer.

Skip to the 80's and I got married, had a kid, moved across the country, got a divorce, moved back, had another kid. I was rocking the single mom thing and I was considered one of the cool ones! Strong! Solid! Independent!

I was well versed in this thing called life at the ripe ole age of 20 something.... (or so I thought).. (Being so 'well versed' at such a young age is another story altogether to come at a later time..)

So, fast forward to 2011.

I'm married, I have 2 more children under my wings and a wonderful husband. I had climbed the corporate ladder to a management position and enjoyed all the perks that came in the industry.

Life was great!

Then the phone rang.

It was the VA hospital (my dad served in Vietnam) and it was a social worker asking if I was his daughter.. Yes... She asked if I was aware of my dad being there; um, no, I wasn't. At least not this particular time.

She expressed to me that my mom, who was feisty, disabled, but fiercely independent was wondering the halls of the hospital. They asked if I could take her home for some proper rest. Well, of course I can and I dropped everything leaving to travel the hour long drive to get her.

"What are you doing here?" was her reaction. I told her I received a call and asked her what was up this go around? My dad was all hooked up to oxygen and sleeping. About that time, the hospital staff walked in doing rounds, introduced themselves (there was a team) and they began in a matter of fact tone explain to me my dad had deprived himself of oxygen and they were not yet sure if he would be able to 'return'..

I learned he was in their car, removed his oxygen line, and proceeded to light up while reading Louis L'Amour, https://g.co/kgs/mRCFdb. Lost in his book and habitual smoking, he failed to remember to put his oxygen tube back on and flip the on/off button to his tank. He was found disoriented and confused.

Over night, my dad became incapacitated! He no longer knew where he was. How old he was. That he was retired from the Air Force. That I was a mother. He was only able to recall distant events that occurred before I was even born.

I had my dad about 6 months after that night. It was upon his death, my reaction and how it immediately affected me that I decided one way or another I would stop smoking. No way in hell was I going to allow my children and grandchildren to witness what almost broke me.


To be continued....

Til Next Time ~
Domesticated Rebellion