Second Hand Smoke

Once, when my husband stopped smoking, he told me that the smell of second hand smoke was nauseating to him.  He began smoking once again and failed to acknowledge that the smell of his own second hand smoke was offensive to every non-smoker around him.

I live in an apartment building and like to leave my windows and patio door open during nice weather.  One of my neighbors apparently likes to sit on their balcony and smoke.  I can be far away from any open window or door and still smell that awful smell.  I bet no smoker would believe that but it's true.

I've never smoked in my life and the longer I'm away from a smoker the more sensitive I become to the smell.  I realize I'm taking more shallow breaths to avoid breathing it in.  We shouldn't have to do that just because someone else is polluting their own lungs!

My husband liked to say that he found some perfume smells offensive...this was one of his defenses against any comments about his smoking.  I admit that a few women (and men) use colognes too liberally but, for the most part, the whiff of a subtle cologne is pleasant.  I've never smelled a pleasant cigarette or cigar.

Smoking is expensive and annoying to people who don't smoke.  Smoking is hazardous to your health and, unfortunately for the non-smokers, second hand smoke is also deadly.  I was exposed to cigarette smoke daily for almost 50 years and, so far, haven't experienced any of the side effects from it but I am only one person.  Many have and that includes children.  Donna, once a smoker, said that one of her embarrassing photos from long ago show her feeding Todd his bottle with one hand while using the other to smoke a cigarette.  Well, we didn't know any better in those days but we do now so there's no excuse for anyone to smoke around a child.

This is 2015 and the cost of a package of cigarettes is about $10 in Canada (might be more).  That's $300 a month that could be used for better purposes.  My husband smoked about 1 1/2 packs a day and he died at age 68 of esophageal cancer which can be caused by smoking.  Think about that!