[ Post a Response | The Sublime Desire of Cigarette Smoking ]
Posted by freidatheant
on August 5, 2008, 10:52 am, in reply to "Follow-up"
In this continuation of your friend's feelings and dialogue regarding the effects of smoking on her, you found that she is actually being quite interactive about the decision to quit. This latest exchange seems to be as much about your reaction to her quitting as it is about her actually terminating her cigarette use.
I'm wondering, based on what you've shown us, if she's giving the quit-smoking proposal an airing with you to gauge how that might affect things between you? Could she be trying to predict what affect this might have on your relationship if she did decide to make this significant change? Your friendship is clearly of great value to her and perhaps she wanted to know if this idea would strain the bond between you both?
The idea that she feels that your general state of health is a good bellweather for her is also intriguing. If your well-being deteriorates for reasons obviously related to smoking, she's stated that she's prepared to take that as a sign that she needs to stop as well. Has she detected something in your general health and lifestyle that disturbs her? In other words, was the idea that she might stop smoking intended to be a veiled proposal that you might want to consider it?
Hard to tell, but we have all made proposals to make significant changes to people very close to us; I know I have; regardless of how the scenario finally played out later. And the reasons for proposing the change are sometimes more intriguing than the actual change itself.
Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to share your friend's concerns, which are in every way, so much like our own.
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