Three teacher workdays down, one to go. I’ve gotten a lot accomplished over the past several days. There are still a few loose ends to tie together, but no big deal. We do have an open house for parents and students tomorrow evening, so there’s that. I’m fairly certain it’ll be a good start to the new school year.
I was talking with friends last night and posed the question “What famous person have you met?” One of the group said when he was eleven years old he attended Harry Truman’s inaugural ball. Pretty hard to top that one.
I walked a little over a mile this morning during a break at school. It’s once again gotten a lot warmer and humid. But walking is something I know I want to continue once school is officially back in session.
37 days, 12 hours without a cigarette according to the QuitNow app on my phone. During that time, I’ve avoided 750 cigarettes, saved $218, and added 3 days to my expected life span. I’m still using nicotine lozenges, but have plans to start weaning myself off those starting on Monday of next week.
I’m covering another high school football game this Friday night. I’ll be at Newton Conover, as they take on West Caldwell.
I’m continuing on my quest to be a long-term nonsmoker. Today is day number thirty-six and although I’m still using nicotine lozenges, I haven’t found it necessary to light up a cigarette in five weeks.
I’m realizing there were distinct reasons why I chose to smoke,,,up to a pack a day. First of all, nicotine is an addictive drug and there is that physical craving to keep it in my system. The nicotine replacement that I get through the lozenges has helped squelch these cravings and my eventual goal is to not have to use those to do so. It’s definitely one day at a time in that respect.
Another reason that I continued to smoke for so long, even when I knew it wasn’t good for me, was that it was a habit. It was something that I did at specific times of day and after certain activities. I would always have a couple of cigarettes upon first waking in the morning. A friend explained my body was going through withdrawals since I had been sleeping and that’s why the urges were so strong. After meals was another time that I would almost always feel the need to have at least one cigarette. Then of course, before I went to bed I would have at least one because I knew I wouldn’t have one for at least six hours or more.
The final reason I chose to smoke is for psychological/emotional/mental release. If I became anxious or nervous at any point during the day, I somehow felt that smoking cigarettes would help calm my nerves. And even though nicotine is a stimulant, my brain felt at least partial relief from my worries. The only problem with this way of viewing things is that it may have been a very short-term fix, but the anxious thoughts would return soon thereafter. The only way I figured to help with those returning anxieties was to light up yet another. Needless to say, long-term this was not a good solution to my mind’s way of thinking.
So five weeks into my latest attempt to stop smoking, I’ve learned to examine my thoughts and do something constructive to help squash them. I’ve started diverting my thinking to something more productive, doing some activity (change a thought, move a muscle type deal), talk over my cravings with someone, and try to use all my tools to slow down my thinking.
It’s still one day at a time. My QuitNow app tells me that I’ve avoided smoking 728 cigarettes and that’s really mind-blowing. You don’t realize how much you smoke cumulatively when you’re just smoking them one at a time. May the odds continue to be in my favor as I continue this happy road.
Year forty-two of teaching….teacher workday number one
Today was my first day back in the classroom to begin my forty-second year in the teaching profession. I’m going to be doing a maternity leave interim for the first eight weeks of the school year and today was our first teacher workday. I got a lot accomplished and am looking forward to the first day with students one week from today.
I was able to access my class lists and proceeded to make seating charts for each of the five groups of students I’ll have during the day. This is something that takes a bit of time, but from my perspective, is one of the most important tasks to complete before school starts.
I was also able to get access to my classroom desktop computer and all the apps I’ll need to use for instruction. Perhaps even more importantly, I was able to print from my desktop to the school copier, as well as make copies in the traditional fashion. Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most.
We also met with one of our guidance counselors and went over some of the modifications we’ll need to make for some of our students. We also went over some of the safety precautions that are in place to keep our school a safe environment for all. With the recent incidents involving school shootings, there’s an increased emphasis on this particular part of the school setting.
I will be decorating some in the classroom tomorrow and we also have our beginning of the year faculty meeting to attend as well. It was good to see so many former co-workers and meet some new people as well. And to top it all off, we got a special treat of free caramel corn from a retired school system employee who knows the importance of getting the year off to a sweet start.
Three more workdays this week and then one week from today, the students return! Indeed an exciting time for all.
Continued absitenence from smoking and a close call….
Thirty-four days, six hours, thirty minutes….that’s how long it’s been since I smoked my last cigarette. Even now, over a month later, I still have cravings and urges to have “just a smoke or two.” But I know full well where that will lead,,,a place I’m not interested in going. It’s still one day at a time, sometimes one minute or hour at a time. But I’ve got this!
This morning, on my way to run some errands, I had the overwhelming urge to have a cigarette. There were several triggers that had popped up yesterday and today and I went so far as to stop at one of the convenience stores I many times frequented to buy a pack. I got a diet soda and strolled up to the cash register with the intention of buying a pack. But I was able to use the skills I have learned on this journey and didn’t buy any and at this hour, am still smoke-free for today.
I know one of the key reasons I continued to smoke for so long is that I had the perception it helped me cope with anxiety and stress. Those were both present this morning and I started to resort to an old and unhealthy way to handle those feelings. Perhaps it was fate or Divine providence, but as I thought it through, I decided not to act on that compulsion. I know to keep my ego in check through all of this, but I can say I’m proud of myself for not lighting up.
I know as the school year starts back, there will be a lot more instances where my thoughts and feelings can try to get the better of me and this urge/compulsion/obsession may very well show up again. But I can use today’s experience as another tool….that no matter how strong the urge may get, I don’t need to act on it.
On Friday night, high school football returns for yet another season and once again, I’ll be covering games on the radio for a local AM station. It’s something I’ve done most every season since 1985 and I’m looking forward to another season of local high school football action.
For the first Friday night, I’ll be covering the Hickory High Red Tornadoes, as they open the season at home agains the Alexander Central Cougars. The following introduction will be my pregame report and I’ll be reporting on the game as the night proceeds. The reports are aired during the feature game of the week on the station.
Reporting live from Frank Barger Stadium on the campus of Hickory High School, this is Dave Moser for the Coca-Cola 123 Radio Football Hotline. Tonight I’ll be bringing you updates on the season opener as the Red Tornadoes square off against the Alexander Central Cougars. Hickory is coming off a 7-5 record last year, the first at Hickory for former Lincolnton head coach Joe Glass. They are led offensively by quarterbacks Turner Wood, a junior, and Brady Stober, a sophomore. They’re looking for a big season in the running game from standout Isaiah Lackey. Recent UNC-CH signee Rico Walker will see action on both sides of the ball, at wide receiver and linebacker. This is Hickory High’s 100th season of competitive football, so it’s an extra special season for the Red Tornadoes.
The visiting Alexander Central Cougars were 4-6 last season under seventh-year head coach Butch Carter. One of those wins was a 21-7 home victory to open the year against the Red Tornadoes. The Cougars also feature a pair of quarterbacks who expect to see significant playing time, senior Luke Hammer and junior Tanner Moore. Junior Logan Shoemaker is one of the shining stars on the defensive side of the ball for the Cougars.
We expect to see a large crowd on hand tonight here at Barger Stadium and I’ll keep you updated with all the happenings as the night progresses.
This has been Dave Moser for the Coca-Cola 123 Radio Football Hotline, now back to the Crew at St. Stephens.
Several year ago, I dropped by a local historical cemetery and viewed some of the many tombstones of those who were buried there, including some of my relatives. During my search, I came upon a marker for someone I had not known, but it definitely had a story waiting to be told. The tombstone was for Staff Sergeant Howard Flake Sloop and what drew my attention was the inscription “Lost at Sea.” While I didn’t immediately do any research, I recently viewed the picture I had made and decided it was time to find out the details of his death.
I did an internet search and was able to find quite a few details about how he had died during World War II. As it turns out, the bomber he was on was shot down on a mission to bomb an area in Germany in 1943. Sloop served as a gunner on that particular aircraft. Here are the details:
Killed in Action
SSGT Howard Sloop was Killed in Action during World War II.
SSGT Howard Sloop served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II Service started: Unit(s): B-17 “Souse Family” 42-5895 Service ended: KIA Jul 26, 1943
Biography
Staff Sargent Howard Sloop was born in Alexander County, North Carolina in 1911 to William and Agnes (Sides) Sloop. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on September 11, 1942. He married a woman named Ruby Fox. They may have had children. He was a woodworker in his civilian life. In the Air Corps, he served as a Waist Gunner on at least 2 different B-17s. The last B-17 that he served on was B-17 “Souse Family” 42-5895. On July 26, 1943, The “Souse Family” was flying in a mission to bomb Hannover, Germany, along with 20 other B-17s, when they came under attack by enemy aircraft, approximately 35 miles off the northwest coast of the East Frisian Islands. The plane eventually caught fire, and Lt. Col. Theodore R Harris tried to ditch it in the North Sea. 4 of the crew were killed in action and 6 were captured as Prisoners of War.
Howard received an Air Medal and a Purple Heart for his bravery in service to his country.
Howard’s body was never recovered, but his name is listed in memorial at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, in Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands. His family also has a plot for him at Fairview Cemetery in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina.
The 3 other men from B-17 “Souse Family” 42-5895 that died July 26, 1943 were;
Just random writing today…whatever pops into my head.
Today is Tuesday. I’ve had over one month now since my last cigarette and even though I still get cravings, I haven’t found it necessary to pick up a cigarette. For that, I am grateful. I’ve avoided smoking 584 cigarettes over the twenty-nine-day period and have saved $169 by not lighting up. It’s still just one day at a time, but I’m pleased with my progress.
I’ve taken my car to get the oil changed and to have its yearly inspection completed. I’ll then need to renew my license tag at the local tag office. My strategy is to not renew my personalized tag and get a regular one. If the new random tag doesn’t have any particular meaning, I’ll then apply for another personalized tag. I’ve done this for several years and am following the same course of action for this year.
Tomorrow I have a doctor’s appointment to check up on the medicine I’m taking for ADD. I’ve been pleased with the results thus far. I have had a sore throat for the past week or so and ended up in urgent care on Sunday. Good news was no covid, no strep…but still no answers as to what was causing the symptoms. So I’ll likely have my family doctor weigh in on what the thinks it might be.
I also have an appointment with my therapist tomorrow afternoon. I don’t have anything, in particular, to talk about with him, except to discuss my twenty-year abstinence from alcohol and my continued recovery from smoking. I was able to speak with a friend yesterday who’s struggling with a family member’s addiction and gave him my therapist’s name as a possible resource, as well as the name of another therapist I’ve utilized in my recovery. It’s always good to be able to use my life experiences to help someone else when they’re struggling. It’s also a part of why I think it’s important to break my anonymity with selected folks from time to time. They then have a resource call upon they might not otherwise have.
I will be going back to school next week. I’m going to be working Monday through Thursday, which are teacher workdays. I’ll need to get my classroom ready for the first day of school on the 29th of this month. It’ll be good to be back in the flow again and I’m looking forward to being with some of my former teacher friends again, as well as some new faces. For good measure, I even had a teacher dream last night, which is very common as the new school year approaches.
We’re getting a break from the heat and humidity this week. It was partly cloudy yesterday and we did get some much-needed rain. This morning we awoke to cloudy skies and cooler temperatures once more. I know we’re still going to have some of those ninety-degree-plus days before the end of summer, but it’s nice to get a break from the heat.
I’ve been walking each day as a way to replace a bad habit (smoking) with a good one. I know there will be those times when I’m not able to walk each and every day once school starts, but I’ve found it helps me both mentally and physically to exercise each day. I’ve been walking at a local park and have begun seeing some of the same faces each day as I walk. I have an app on my phone that gives me a summary of the distance I’ve traveled, as well as calories burned for that day. It even has a map of the route that I took. Any gadget that gives me motivation is good in my book.
So that’s it for today..random thoughts that hopefully make some degree of sense.
What are five things I can do when I get the urge to smoke?
I have a good friend Michael who, like myself has in the past been addicted to smoking. Although I was addicted to cigarettes and him to smoking a pipe, the results were much the same: nicotine became addictive and began affecting our health. Michael had been able to quit several year ago and I was just starting out, so he was able to offer me some helpful hints, including “The Five Ds of Quitting Smoking and Defeating Urges to Smoke.”
The Five Ds of Fighting Addictive Urges…
Delay – When you get an urge to pick up a cigarette, delay that urge for as few as five minutes and you may very well find it passes. I still, one month into being cigarette-free have urges to light one up. I play the tape forward of what would happen if I actually did and remember what a struggle it was to quit in the first place. I know I’d likely buy a whole pack, which is twenty cigarettes and wouldn’t stop with just one. I would then get that feeling that I could stop after smoking just that one pack and I’d be right back where I was a month ago. I know that I’ve been pleased with my cessation practices thus far and don’t know that I could do it all over again.
Distraction – My thoughts on any particular topic are many times of an obsessive nature. Such can be the case when I have an urge to smoke. When these cravings do arise, I try to immediately switch gears and start thinking about something else. Since the start of school is just a couple of weeks away, it’s a simple and productive distraction for me to focus on what the first weeks of school will be like. And whether it’s just going through the process in my mind or actually sitting at my computer to flesh out those plans, it takes my mind off the cigarette I was wanting to light up. I also have taken up the habit of walking each day and nothing seems to help more than replacing my bad habit of smoking with a good one, walking. In connection with the first tactic of delaying, these two have been the two most helpful tools I have found.
Discuss it with someone – It never hurts to share with someone, especially someone who has been through the same thing, and talking with them may be a necessary step. I go through periods of time when I feel that no one else would understand what I’m describing, but that’s just my ego talking. And whether or not the person has ever tried to quit smoking or smoked at all for that matter, if they are supporting you attempt to quit, they’re more than glad to talk over your urges with you. They can provide you the support and motivation you need to kick the habit. It also works well with the first two Ds mentioned above. Even if you conversation is a short one, it does delay a possible relapse and your conversation can definitely be a distraction. One phone call may be all it takes to handle all of the first three Ds.
Drink water – I have to admit, this is one that I might make slight modifications to during my cessation attempt. I know water is the healthiest fluid you can drink, but I’m admittedly not a big fan. I most often can be found drinking a cup of coffee or having a diet soft drink. And while caffeine is not the optimal substance for my body, it does help to satisfy my thirst and keeps that oral fixation in line. I’m going to try to drink more of the flavored waters when the school year starts back, but no promises there. One addiction at a time as they say. Perhaps caffeine will be next.
Deep breaths– One of the best things about quitting smoking is that it increases your respiratory function. While your breaths might not be the deepest in the beginning, they do help slow your system down, including your obsessive thinking about lighting up. This is one that I have to make a concerted effort to do. I’ve never been able to meditate in the traditional sense, but I have found that without the cigarette smoke interfering, my breathing has improved. And what better way to celebrate non-smoking than by taking a deep breath that you previously wouldn’t have been able to accomplish?
So there you go…my friend Michael’s suggestion of “The Five Ds” have really helped me in this first month of staying away from cigarettes. And while I still get those urges, I haven’t found it necessary to act on them. That is indeed a gift.
I’m also aware that these strategies may very well work with other addictions or habits we’re trying to stay away from. When I’ve determined that there’s something I’m better off without in my life, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine or even chocolate chip cookies, the “Five Ds” are a valuable tool on the road to recovery from addictive behavior.
It’s been a long journey for all of us, the Covid pandemic. There have been its darkest days, periods where it seemed to be losing its punch, and then the appearance of variants and a roller coaster ride of case numbers. Until this point, I’ve been able to dodge the Covid bullet, but many will say it’s something we’ll all contract at some point.
My wife tested positive for Covid this past Tuesday. She had tested herself on Saturday evening when she wasn’t feeling well and got a negative result. Tuesday’s test, which she took after continuing symptoms, was positive. Even though I didn’t have any noticeable symptoms, I thought it best to do a rapid, at-home test and got a negative test result. We socially distanced from each other as much as we were able to, but I figured I would eventually come down with the virus as well.
Since last Tuesday, I’ve taken for rapid, at-home tests and have also taken two PCR tests offered by the local health department, all with negative results. I’ve had a really sore throat over the past several days and actually thought I’d contracted Covid, but according to all six test results, such is not the case. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the coming week. My wife tested herself this morning and now is virus free, so that’s also helpful.
During the coming week, I have quite a few commitments and appointments to work with, so I have had to come up with some alternate strategies should I contract the virus. I deliver Meals on Wheels on Monday morning and will take a rapid test before heading out for deliveries. I have an appointment to get my car worked on Tuesday and will likely drop my car off to have the work done. Wednesday I have a doctor’s appointment and if I haven’t tested positive by that point, I’ll have him check to see if I perhaps have strep throat or something else causing the throat pain. I also have a therapist appointment on Wednesday and will call him to see if it’s still okay for me to keep that session given the past week’s events.
Covid has definitely caused us all to make changes in the way we live our lives. Even though I’ve not contracted the virus, it has caused a lot of changes in my perspective on the importance of taking care of myself. I think we’ll likely see a rise in case numbers when school goes back in session in two weeks and I do have an interim assignment for the first eight weeks of the school year. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to steer clear of contracting the virus and take the necessary precautions, but am excited about being back in the classroom again.
There was a time in my life, over twenty years ago now, when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. I was struggling with a lot of life changes and wasn’t really sure what to do with my meandering thoughts and ample extra time. One Friday night, I went to the local movie theatre and saw the movie “Signs.” This movie introduced the concept of synchronicity and my perspective on life has never been the same.
The movie “Signs” starred Mel Gibson and was, at least on the surface, a story about Earth being invaded by hostile alien forces. While the plot line was obvious to most viewers, I picked up on something else that the movie offered. That premise it presented was that there are no coincidences, no random events. You’ll have to view the movie yourself to find out what it was about the movie that made that obvious to me. I’ve included my favorite scene at the bottom of this page.
The world of synchronicity opened wide for me and I began to read all I could about it. From the early works of Carl Jung to more recent studies, all I could devour made total sense to me. More importantly, it showed that during a difficult time in my life, even the not-so-fortunate events could have a plausible reason for occurring as they had.
I began to search in my own life for examples of “chance events” that were a part of my story. As a math teacher, it seemed that numbers held particularly interesting clues as I dug deeper into my life’s narrative. I then realized that the most important events in my life, from the year of my conception to my present situation, had synchronicities woven throughout. There was no doubt in my mind that there were connections, even with those parts of my life that were what could best be termed “bad.”
I’m reading, or should I say, rereading a book, The 7 Secrets of Synchronicity, and am making a concerted effort to be more mindful of synchs that occur during the course of my day. Every day is an adventure and as I make note of the synchronous events in my life, I’m reminded that indeed, it’s all woven together and there are no coincidences and a Power much greater than any of us who’s the master weaver of all of our lives.
“There are no coincidences” scene from the movie “Signs”…
David Lee 
