Sharpen Your Sword
And it shall come to pass that the freedom once held by men, shall be shattered, and Big Tobacco shall lie across the world, and the Nic-Demon shall once more lay her hand upon the world of man. Women will weep and men quail, as families of the nations of the earth are torn apart by this destructive poison. When the battle drum beats, it will be too late to sharpen your sword.
Yet, eight shall be born to face the Nic-Demon. These eight men will not have to face the demon alone, for they will gain strength from those around them. They will be trained to fight against her deceptively evil ways. They will be given the weapons necessary to battle her. These eight shall fight against her daily, using the One Power (posting their promise to stay nicotine free every single day). These eight, the Freebirds, come from various walks of life, and each brings their unique talents and strengths to fight the Nic-Demon. Leaning on one another during their time of training, they will form a bond that can never be broken, except by the evil Nic-Demon. Sharpen your sword.
These eight brothers of quit, will form a formidable team that will gain strength from one another each, and every day. They will discover that they each have unique talents that were previously unknown to themselves and will learn to use those talents to edify the team as well as others. As they come to complete their first level of training, let’s celebrate their victory, but take caution in the knowledge that the Nic-Demon is very real, very capable of swallowing the entire group at any given time. Sharpen your sword.
In fact, their training will never end. The Nic-Demon never sleeps, and awaits, for a moment of weakness, to pounce upon its victim. The focus in training is to tackle the monster One Day At A Time. It is a proven method. Iron sharpens iron. Hold steadfast in your training. We are about to embark on a life against an enemy that thinks they are about to break us. That is the biggest mistake the Nic-Demon could have ever made. Because now, we declare war. We declare war against the Nic-Demon. And you thought we were going hard before? We are about to go harder than we have ever gone before. Sharpen your sword.
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In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.
---Ulysses S. Grant
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The journey to slay the Nic-Demon is a slow and arduous battle, a battle fought every single day. Every one of the Free Birds has helped me during my training. You see, you cannot slay the Nic-demon in one fell swoop. Nope. You must attack her daily. As she will attack you. This will require you to sharpen your sword continuously, as this is a daunting battle, one that requires courage, strength, stamina, and commitment. It is not for the weak. It will require your determination and a team. A team of Bad Asses, to hand you your sword when the nic-demon knocks it free from your grip. It requires a team of Bad Asses, to watch your back as the Nic-Demon lies in wait. A team of Bad Asses to kick you in the teeth, to wake you up from the fog of war. Make no mistake, the war is very real.
The Freebirds have just graduated from phase one of their training. They are experienced and seasoned warriors of quit. They have learned to wield the One Power (posting their daily promise to remain quit). Their time is now. This is their time to use their knowledge and training that they have learned here in the halls of KTC. For, we are about to tackle the hardest part of our journey. The actual battle lies just beyond the sunrise, in tomorrow. Understand, the first 100 days were a test. A test of our intestinal fortitude. A test of our moxie. A test of our Honor and Commitment. Many individuals washed out within the first 100 days. They lacked the courage it takes to battle the Nic-demon. They lacked the understanding of commitment. They lacked the understanding of brotherhood. The Free Birds have a responsibility to give back to this community that has spent time training us, guiding us, and strengthening us, in our quits.
There have been many battles these past few months and many more on our horizon. We have seen some of our very best Birds, fall, at the hand of the Nic-demon. We have seen veteran’s fail, only to come back and post a day one, again. It is an important lesson to never become complacent in your quit. As we, the Free Birds, spread our wings and soar, we will continue to challenge one another, to never stray too far from the nest. Remember what got you to day 100. Remember how shitty we felt during that first training week.
The first few days of my KTC training were a gauntlet. I was in a fog. The Nic-demon was poking at me. Members from KTC were poking and prodding me. Complete strangers offering me their digits. It all happened in a blink of an eye. It was like a shit storm coming from every direction. I couldn’t see straight. When the fog began to lift, I found myself staggering through this website and through my group’s posts. I had landed in the February Free Birds 2021 Quit Group.
As we continue this journey and our battle, I want to thank a few people that have helped me along this path. There are many, too many to list.
My wife, Kaydee, she is my rock. I couldn’t have made it this far without you baby!
Our conductors,
@Freddi & @Sbbeq. I appreciate you taking us on our journey this HOF month. I have enjoyed reading all the stories you two have posted. Thank you.
The February Bad Ass Free Birds 2021 Quit Group!
@Aggies94; @Famous205; @Comalley; @Joshj;
@Sajax;
@kg88;
@Todd W 66; You guys have been amazing! Funny, Witty, Clever, Strong! I couldn’t have asked to be with a better group of Bad Ass Quitters! Cheers Gents. Keep your wits sharp, and your swords sharper. QWTBOF!
@MNxEngineer I appreciate the texts…always!
@FISHFLORIDA I appreciate your texts and funny memes.
And all the members of KTC who have set me on a course for success.
I thank you.
-Jeff
The Caboose
