Published by | | | | Last year, I set out to do something hard — finally kick my cigarette habit. I had been smoking on and off (let's be real, mostly on) for the better part of a decade. After "quitting" unsuccessfully a dozen times, I decided to approach it a bit differently. For me, this looked like: easing into it (versus quitting cold turkey), taking a prescription medication to alleviate the side effects and celebrating each month not smoking with a small treat. I mean, who doesn't get motivated by treats? Soon, I found myself not smoking for one month … then two … then six. With each month that passed, I got more momentum to keep going. Before I knew it, this past July, I made it to one year of no smoking. It was really difficult, but I'm so proud of myself for doing a hard thing. And in a pandemic nonetheless. I wanted to celebrate! I thought about quietly acknowledging it, like I had been doing every month (rewarding myself with a new sour beer or a book, for example), but that didn't feel like enough. This was bigger — it deserved something more, something special. I also wanted to celebrate with my friends, especially after not being able to see many of them during the pandemic. | | | So, in July, I hosted a small gathering of friends at a nearby park to celebrate my "Smokiversary" — or, more accurately, "The Year of No Smoking." Celebrating this milestone with the people I love inspired me to think about other ways we can celebrate other unconventional milestones — big events that go beyond graduating or having a baby or getting married. I think we should keep celebrating those, too, but consider including more unique, individual milestones as well. After posting about my "Year of No Smoking" on my Instagram, many of my friends had other great ideas for milestones to celebrate. | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | From left to right: Courtney Hurley, Jacqueline Dubrovich, Kelley Hurley. (Elsa/Getty Images; Alex Palombo; Washington Post illustration) | 01.After fencer Alen Hadzic was temporarily suspended in June following accusations against him of sexual misconduct, he appealed the decision and won — just in time to secure his spot on the Olympic roster. USA Fencing instituted a "safety plan" to distance him from the rest of the team in Tokyo, but female fencers told The Lily's Caroline Kitchener that it did not go far enough and that they did not feel protected. 02.Authorities said Sunday that they may have found Gabby Petito's body near the Wyoming site where they were searching for the 22-year-old woman who was traveling across the country with her fiance. "The cause of death has not been determined," said Charles Jones, an FBI agent. He added that her family had been notified, but that authorities had not fully confirmed that the body is hers, though it matched her description. 03.A Texas doctor stepped forward over the weekend to say he had performed an abortion that is illegal under the state's restrictive new law to force a test of its legality. "I understand that by providing an abortion beyond the new legal limit, I am taking a personal risk, but it's something I believe in strongly," Alan Braid, a San Antonio OB/GYN, wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post. A slew of lawsuits against Braid are expected to follow his public admission, with the leader of Texas's largest antiabortion group telling The Post they are "exploring all of our options to hold anyone accountable who breaks the (Texas) law." | | | | | A story to make you smile | | Delores and Frank Grasberger say they consider Dashauna Priest to be a third daughter to them. (Vitalia Senior Residences at Strongsville) | Dashauna Priest, 21, still recalls sitting in her third-grade classroom 12 years ago in Lorain, Ohio, writing a heartfelt thank-you letter to a World War II veteran whom she did not know. She had no idea that the recipient of her letter would carry the note with him everywhere he went, carefully folded in an envelope. "It really tore my heart up when I saw it," said Frank Grasberger, now 95. "I just couldn't believe a child could write a letter about a war." Grasberger drafted his own note to her in response. His wife, Delores, mailed the letter to Priest's school, though the couple never got confirmation that she actually received it. After their many failed attempts to find her over the years, the resident services director at their senior home found Priest on social media and orchestrated a surprise to finally unite them. Read more from Sydney Page in The Washington Post. | | | | But before we part, some recs | | (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) | Lena FeltonDeputy editor, The LilyWhat I'm snacking on:I have found the holy grail of Trader Joe's cheese and cracker combinations: Unexpected Cheddar plus Red Chili Scalloped Crackers. And when I say "snack," I really mean that I wolf down this combination regularly. What I'm sipping:Ochazuke. When I was a kid, my mom used to pour this green tea over rice for me when I was sick; I found some at a local Japanese market and brew it in a mug for an afternoon pick-me-up. What I'm savoring: Meals with friends. As summer wanes, I'm grateful for all the BBQ cookouts and picnics we've been able to enjoy these past few months. I'll be carrying this sublime sense of togetherness into fall — it feels like Friendsgiving is just around the corner. | | | | |
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