THE IMPORTANT IS TO HAVE CHARM...

THE IMPORTANT IS TO HAVE CHARM...

"My heart belongs only to Jesus

But my lung belongs to Souza Cruz..."

These two verses are a parody of a Catholic Church hymn. Both the religious hymn and its humorous version were very popular when I was fourteen, fifteen. At that time it was common for people to walk down the street with a cigarette in their lips, releasing smoke as if it were the chimney of a factory... it was fashionable to smoke, and there were several brands of cigarettes that could be bought on any corner... There were some cigarette factories in the country, all of them located in the South... but the most famous of all was, without a doubt, Souza Cruz, a company that until today is part of the popular imagination. There were several brands marketed by her, brands aimed at both male and female audiences. For this audience, they launched the "Charm" cigarette, which came in a golden box and whose slogan was "Charm, the fine that satisfies"... the other catchphrase was "the important thing is to have Charm". Several brands paraded through the shelves of bars and bakeries, for all tastes and budgets. The most famous of all was undoubtedly the Continental, with or without a filter, as it was sold in both versions. Of every ten packs of cigarettes sold, at least five were Continental. The other brands sold were Arizona (the appeal of cowboy movies, very popular at that time) Marlboro (following the line of Arizona, but for a more select audience), Hollywood (reminiscent of cinema, isn't it?) Minister, Consul (which especially won over children and teenagers, as it is a menthol cigarette...) Mistura Fina...

There were many brands, if I were to write them all here I would spend the whole day and, for sure, I would end up forgetting some. As I said above, it was common for children and teenagers to parade with a cigarette in their hand. It was so common that a certain chocolate factory even created a "chocolate cigarette" for children... there..

Of course, not everyone was addicted, but I believe that everyone, at that time, tried smoking at least once in their lives, since it was a "chic" habit... , but most didn't care. It was not considered a serious fault. In fact, it wasn't even considered a fault. Out of respect, the children did not light their cigarettes in front of their parents. Besides that...

If I smoked? Yes, for two years. I smoked two packs a day. But my parents never suspected that, for a while, I was part of the heavy smokers' club. I was always very discreet, I never smoked at home, nor in the presence of family members. My brother, everyone knew he smoked. And drank. But I? I was the symbol of chaste purity, without vices, a true angel on earth...

At that time (I was fifteen years old) I was already working. I left early (about five in the morning), and went to the city every day. I would take a crowded bus and off I went, bound for Rua das Fiandeiras, where the factory where I worked was located. I would go in at seven, the office would go until five thirty, then I would leave like a hurricane to catch the bus and go to school, where the entrance time was seven o'clock... I always arrived almost when the gates were going to close, but managed to get in on time. Classes lasted until eleven o'clock and then, finally, I went home, took a shower, had dinner and slept, to repeat it all over again the next day...

As I said, I smoked for about two years. What made me get out of addiction? My taste for reading, photo novels and comics. My salary wasn't much, it was barely enough to cover my expenses for the month. There was always a month left over at the end of my salary... something that still happens today, although I manage my finances a little better now than at the time... and there came a time when I had to choose between continuing to read my favorite magazines or continuing to smoke . Lucky for me, I opted for magazines and completely forgot about tobacco...

It is now 9:20 am, the moment is 20ºC, cloudy weather on this beautiful Saturday, with rain forecast later. Today I have to buy a new keyboard for my desktop (the one I was using has exploded and the one I'm using at the moment only serves to "break a branch", so to speak). Well, I'm closing here... May God bless us all and always light up our path, guiding our steps towards Celestial Paradise. And may this be a simply wonderful Saturday in our lives, bringing much love and peace to all of us.

Stay with God and see you tomorrow, if He allows it...