The other day as I was finishing my first cigarette of the day outside of Shively with a friend, some guy thought it would be appropriate to say, Hey
smoke away you're only killing yourself.
Unfortunately, he walked briskly away like a coward while I was still in shock that he was not joking, because I'm used to that.
I wonder if he goes into Shively and reminds all the obese people that they're eating. Or goes to abortion clinics with signs saying , Hey abort away
you're only killing your baby. Really effective, I bet.
What a compassionate guy. Maybe he just had a long day and needed a cigarette, and so he wanted to begrudge me of mine after my long week. I'm not trying to make everyone feel sorry for me and then go buy me a pack of cigarettes (well, it would be nice, I am kind of poor). I'm simply trying to prove the obvious point that he has as much of a clue about my life as I have about his.
I am not a militant smoker staged in front of Shively by Philip Morris in order to ruin his life with my presence. I still have a heart -black as it is.
Maybe he just found out his grandfather has lung cancer. Hey, my grandfather had skin cancer, and I wouldn't say anything to him if I saw him in the sun burning. Except maybe, if we were friends, I might nicely offer him some sunscreen.
By the way, I'm aware that I am killing myself. I used to smoke a pack a day and now I only smoke about four cigarettes a day, but he wouldn't know about that.
Quitting smoking is a lot like losing weight. And most of the time, you are simply lucky for being skinny or for having a natural aversion to smoke. Props to you if you like cigarettes and still don't smoke. I wish I was one of those people. But it's too late now.
Maybe I would have felt a little guilty if he had said something like, Hey
smoke away
you're only killing yourself and everyone else
referring to the issue of secondhand smoke. But I guess he knew he would lose that fight when we were about 10 feet away from each other outside. Besides, we are in a college town. How does he ever have any fun if he walks up to everyone smoking in the bar?
I wasn't drinking and driving or doing anything else that college students do all the time that puts them and everyone else at immediate risk.
Few smokers really want to be smokers. Granted, I think it's tons of fun as long as I can walk up Jeff Hill on my cell phone while smoking without having a heart attack at the top.
But I know that I need to quit. And there are caring people in my life that would like me to, but they accept me for being the idiot who smokes.
-Ellie Behling, a sophomore journalism major, is The Post's culture senior writer. Make sure to let her know that smoking causes cancer by sending her an e-mail at ellen.behling@ohiou.edu.
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