Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Keep Thy Smoke To Thyself

Just when I was happily concluding that the day started out really well, this lady had to come and sit next to me on the train and screw my morning up.

My (Not So) Dear Smokers Everywhere: If you are going to board a train or a bus or enter any enclosed area that is likely to be inhabited by other human beings (actually, I would say other animals too, especially dogs), don't walk in carrying a cloud of left-over smoke around you. Take your time, stand in a remote corner, re-inhale all the smoke you have exhaled, and then proceed. If you can't do that, stay as far away as you can instead of picking me out in the crowd. You are guaranteed to give me a headache, and if it happens to be your lucky day, I might even oblige you by puking on you. I am serious. JUST STAY AWAY.

I know you have been told 'n' times, but I'm telling you again just in case 'n+1' is your magic number.

And to those smoke-walkers on side walks: No, we don't need you to go around spreading the goodness. If your smoke-cloud allows you a clear vision, take a look at the stream of people walking right behind you. They are following you not because they are penniless poor folks who need you to manufacture smoke for them so they can gulp it, but because they are in a hurry to get to work. Don't gag them with your smoke. Find a corner, finish your cigarette and then take a hike.

Not that my health is great, but if at all it is going to be totally messed up, at least I want to have a say in it!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Both my brothers smoke and i HATE it!!!!
Also hate it when people smoke on bus/train/flight. It really makes me puke. I put up a fight until they stop smoking. Passengers sometimes do listen but my brothers, NEVER
:-)
ms
not bad....keep adding new posts

L'Étranger said...

Honestly, I really don't care if a stranger did or didn't smoke as long as he/she did it in his/her private space -- unless of course that stranger is a family member/friend in which case I would lose my sleep trying to figure out how to make him/her quit.

But I do expect smokers to be courteous to others. And if they are not, I don't mind a scrap. They have no right to infringe on my right to live a smoke-free life.