It started as a financial decision. Nathan's child support just jumped from around $330 a month to $980 a month. First of all, holy shit, man. We have to find $650 extra dollars a month. While it seems like he makes good money, the more you make the more you spend. There's the health insurance we can actually afford now, the 401K he can contribute to. But there's the day to day expenses, too.... the preschool tuition, the house payment, the two cars we need to have. My lease is up in April, so if we can reduce the payment on my car, that will be a big plus. But if we both quit smoking, that will save about $7 a DAY. That's over $200 a month. And without all those trips to the gas station for cigarettes, we probably won't spend as much on other things, like coffee. So it will definitely be a big help.
Lately, though, the health thing has been weighing on my mind, too. Don't get me wrong, I've never been ignorant enough to deny that smoking is bad for you. But taking a step back and looking at all the people in my life who have been affected by cancer is really quite devastating. Not all of them smoked either. Grandpap, way back in 8th grade. Grandma. Uncle Ernie. Aunt Marge. Uncle Thom. Bob Pay. Grandpa. My odds look slim. Why raise the chances by putting poison in my body? Just last week, Andrea's sister in law had a tumor removed from her brain. From two inches inside of her brain. She has a metal plate in her head because they had to remove part of her skull. She is 25 years old. I mean, GOD. How can things like that happen to young people who don't make bad, unhealthy choices?
I thought I would write this all out so that the eight people who read this can hold me accountable. I don't want to die in 10 years. I want to see my baby grow up. I'm not going to consciously put that in jeopardy any longer. I know there are other things that need to change in my life, too, but I have to do this one step at a time. I think this is a good first step to take.
