Root Causes-Maybe a SLIGHT tirade

[old2soon]

As most of you are aware of I went down last week-on the mend thank GOD-But bein as I can't ride it has given me time to reflect and my words may be of some help to others here. I picked up my first cigarette at the young age of I believe 14-bout 57 some years ago. No-the first one didn't do ALL the damage BUT it was the start of a long love affair with tobacco. How ELSE would you describe my addiction to the stuff that I KNEW deep down inside of me wasn't good for me or the people around me. 1st wife did not smoke. 2nd wife did. I KNOW NOW I was NOT doing my children any favors by smoking in the house. Or in the car or anywhere near them when I fired up a nicotine stick. And in case no one has made mention of this the damaging effects are cumulative. Every puff every drag every inhale IS DOING and continues to do LONG term damage to your body. I can NOT in any way shape or form change the past-BUT what I CAN do is try to make the smokers here aware of the costs later on in life. While i wasn't a runner in school I miss running. I miss swimming. The fallen brothers ride in Asheville could NOT make the climb up that mountain that day. For those of you that were there-think about that for a minute-I was physically UNABLE to make that climb. Is THAT what you REALLY Want? I was on the 2nd floor at Spearfish-ask my brother how bad those stairs kicked my ass EVERY cursed time I went up or down them. I was on he 2nd floor at W V-same problem as Spearfish. NOT crying here at all-I'm still alive and I want to get back in the saddle so cursed bad-It's frikkin near a physical hurt no being able to ide right now. I like to consider myself a Rider. My beautiful Green and Silver I/S is so MUCH a part of my   life that if you draw blood for a D N A sample it will show a LOT of Valkyrie!  The root cause of m accident CAN be traced back at least 57 years ago to my first cigarette.  Ladies and Gentlemen-Boys and Girls-if yer STILL smoking-QUIT NOW. Do You REALLY wanna lay YOUR Beautiful Valkyrie down like I did??  YUP-didn't think so!  I'd like o see in one pile ALL the tuff I smoked with all the support equipment and the other pile=$100.00 bills-ALL the money I spent and then in yet another pile-ALL the money me and the taxpayers gonna spend keepin me alive for how much ever time I got left. From 1 rider to another from one human to another human from a bro to a sister and rom a bro to a bro-QUIT SMOKING-the evidence is in smoking IS unsafe and it WILL kill you. RIDE SAFE.

[Wizzard]

Good Advice. Thanks. I hope you get back in the saddle soon.

[MP]

Hang in there, Dennis.  I am soooo glad that I never picked the habit up.  Smoked 20 or so swisher sweets cigars in college, tried maybe 3 cigs.  Thought they were AWFUL!

I, and my wife, are so blessed.

However, both my sons smoke like chimneys. So sad.  They know the problems, they know the cost, but..........

[..]

Well said. One of the hardest drug habits to kick.

[Willow]

I stopped a little over forty-five years ago.  Just for you, Dennis, I promise to not start again.   

Thank you for sharing such sound advice with real world background.

[old2soon]

I stopped a little over forty-five years ago.  Just for you, Dennis, I promise to not start again.   

Thank you for sharing such sound advice with real world background.

           Carl-I have the strange BUT true feeling that If you were foolish enough to start smoking again that Lori wouldn't wait around for the smoking to take you out!  RIDE SAFE.

[Willow]

 Carl-I have the strange BUT true feeling that If you were foolish enough to start smoking again that Lori wouldn't wait around for the smoking to take you out!  RIDE SAFE.

LOL!  You have an incorrect assumption regarding our relationship.  We will never know in that particular case, though.   

[jim@98valkyrie.com]

Dennis,
Thanks for opening up about this. I hope your words sink deeply into those that are able to accept it.

[Karen]

Dennis, thank you for your heartfelt words of wisdom. It took me 10 years of trying before I finally quit back in '90 or so. I couldn't ask "Why me?" when I was diagnosed with lung cancer 8 years ago; I knew why... 3 packs of Pall Malls per day, subsidized by the government for only 2 bucks a carton. It was a mountain bike that gave me the final desire to quit. I wanted to ride in the mountains of New Hampshire with panniers front and rear, and I knew it'd never happen if I didn't quit. A few years back, I did some of those same roads on my motorcycle, and was astounded that I'd really ground my way up and soared back down under pedal power. I was, and still am, incredibly lucky, a lumpectomy, no chemo and no radiation. Obviously He is not done with me yet, still trying to discover my purpose...

[scooperhsd]

Thank god  I never picked this habit up. My dad had been a smoker from way back, and I still remember his funeral in '94 at age 57  - I wore my service Dress Blues to his funeral in his honor. i think it was the last time that I saw alot of the family out there until my Mom's funeral last year. I could not (still can't ) stand to be near a pack of smokers going at it... - even sitting next to a  smoker while training them was getting me sick to my stomach...

[art]

Great post   I'm lucky in that I never smoked cigarettes, I did smoke a pipe for 25 years and quit due to a dentists advice 35 years ago. my lungs are clean. I'll kick the bucket from something else.