Tom's Mumblings

I started smoking cigarettes in high school, at 16. I did it because my friends did it and it made us look cool, and the girls would flirt and come over to bum cigarettes off us. We were cool.

I got older and everyone at work smoked. Gees, those were the days. In the conference room, everybody smoked. You couldnt even see each other because the room was so smoky. I dont know how we did it. Plus our clothes must have reeked!!

Then we had people who had allergies and didnt want to be around the smokers. We could no longer smoke at our desks. We were told we could only smoke in the break rooms. So everyone started smoking in the break rooms. Then the employees who didnt smoke complained they couldnt eat in the same room with everyone smoking in there. So then they told us we had to go outside the building or out on the patios to have a cigarette. So we did that.

Then youd get in the elevator to go back to your office and youd realize how much you stunk when the elevator door closed. It was horrible. Your fingers smelled terrible. Your breath was bad. You were a mess.

I was wheezing at night, had a smokers cough and I just began to hate being a smoker. I smoked at clubs (in the disco days) when I had a drink, but I really didnt smoke that much during working hours anymore. But having a smoke after sex, eating and with a drink was okay.

This went on for a few more years and then I just had enough of it all. I quit cold turkey. One day I just said, Thats it. Enough. Im done.

Now I cannot stand being around smokers. They are rude. Theyll blow smoke in your face. Theyll put their cigarette butts out on your lawn, on the sidewalk, your planter boxes. They dont care. Theyre disgusting. They try to smoke in your car and your house, but they dont smoke in their house.

I will not date a smoker. I can smell them anywhere on anyone, and will not tolerate it. I cant even believe I used to be one. I find it so offensive now. None of my friends smoke and when people ask me if I mind if they do, I tell them, Yes, I do. Please dont do it around me. Some get bitchy, but I dont care. I have the right to breathe. If you want to breathe in my space, then you dont bring your cigarettes in it.