More Than Ever… Lots To Be Thankful For

It’s Thanksgiving morning and I’m sitting down to start my day. This year, for obvious reasons, is going to be a bit different. Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. We always get together at my parents home and celebrate. My family, my brother’s family, my folks and my in-laws. We go crazy with the amount of food we cook for relatively so few people (three turkeys: oven roasted, smoked and fried) but we do this with a purpose… we’re together, don’t have to travel and can just enjoy one another’s company.

This year, thanks to COVID that has been scrapped. My in-laws won’t be attending, we’re only doing two of the turkeys (no smoked this year) and we’ll not even enter the house. Mom made the oven roasted yesterday and my brother and I will go over this afternoon to do the fried. We’ll carve everything in the garage and head to our respective homes to eat.

That said, I’m more thankful than ever this morning. I’m thankful for my and my family’s health. I know that’s not something to be taken lightly… especially in this shitshow that we call 2020. COVID has effected millions of people worldwide and it has certainly affected our KTC family. Prayers to those affected and for a quick recovery for all. Regardless of your political leanings I think we can all agree that we want this behind us sooner rather than later.

Last week our accountability forums celebrated it’s 14 year anniversary of helping people quit chewing tobacco. As we’ve done in the past, we had a one-day, site-wide roll call where folks put their name on a line and promised to be quit from nicotine for that day. The results were quite simply amazing. 391,829 days or 1,073.5 YEARS of quit were represented.

As I sit here on this Thanksgiving morning I realize how thankful I am for the KTC community. These people have helped me and continue to help me quit this terrible addiction. These are not my “internet friends” – these are men and women who I talk to, interact with and have met face to face. Yes, the get togethers are few and far between this year and are of the “social distancing” variety but they will return. You can count on it.

I can honestly say that I’m more thankful for my quit this year than I have been in the last couple of years. I can’t imaging going thorough this year, and all that it’s brought with it, while shoving my “beloved” Kodiak into my mouth.

This afternoon as I stand outside guarding a fried turkey, I won’t need to sneak away to have a dip.  I won’t need to “run to the store” to grab some last minute item that we clearly don’t need.

If you don’t have a quit of your own to be thankful for this year, I’d like to invite you to join us. We can help.  And this time next year you can sit back and reflect on what you’re thankful for… and you can include your quit.

Happy Thanksgiving friends. Enjoy your day.