Excuses

Excuses are monuments of nothingness,
They build bridges to nowhere,
Those of us who us these tools of incompetence,
Seldom become anything but nothing at all.   (unknown)

There's always some excuse to quit smoking later. I have smoking friends from MA coming this weekend. Next weekend is a holiday; we'll be out with smoking friends. We go on vacation at the end of the month with smoking friends. We're called the Chimneys...while it wasn't originally a reference to smoking, it certainly applies with so many of us paralyzed by nicotine's grip.

I frequently associate excuses with an old church song from the late 70's or early 80's. They used to make us sing it in Bible School. A quick interweb search looks like The Kingsmen Quartet published it at one time but I'm not sure if it was their original work? While I'm not the least bit churchy, it's interesting that many of the "Devil's excuses" to stay away from church loosely relate to excuses to keep smoking:

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them, if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.


In the summer it's too hot. And, in the winter, it's too cold.
In the spring time when the weather's just right, you find some place else to go.
Well, it's up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend.
Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kin folks will start dropping in.


Well, the church benches are too hard. And, that choir sings way too loud.
Boy, you know how nervous you get when you're sitting in a great big crowd.
The doctor told you, "Now, you better watch them crowds. They'll set you back."
But, you go to that old ball game because you say "it helps you to relax."


Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night.
But by worktime Monday morning, you're feeling quite alright.
While one of the children has a cold, "Pneumonia, do you suppose?"
Why the whole family had to stay home, just to blow that poor kid's nose.


Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.


Well, the preacher he's too young. And, maybe he's too old.
The sermons they're not hard enough. And, maybe they're too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he's way too proud.


Well, the sermons they're too long. And, maybe they're too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of "stomp and snort."
Well, that preacher we've got must be "the world's most stuck up man."
Well, one of the lady's told me the other day, "Well, he didn't even shake my hand."


Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses. 

Regardless, I'm tired of using these tools of incompetence to drive my behavior. I must be strong. I must desire to quit and actually do it. I have no choice but to succeed; the alternative of a short life and painful death is just too gruesome.