I have been reluctant to weigh in on this issue because I myself am a former smoker. One of the many good reasons I decided to give it up was that I found fewer and fewer places where I felt comfortable lighting up. Thanks to the constant nagging of my husband and son, I finally didn't feel comfortable smoking at home any longer.
It's been four years since I have smoked cigarettes and I am happy about it. At the time I quit I figured out that I was spending over $4,000+/yr. on cigarettes. That is two major vacations a year for me and my family or a myriad of other things. My house doesn't stink, my car doesn't stink, my clothes don't stink, my hair doesn't stink, I am not hacking up furballs, my friends aren't complaining about having to make accommodations for my cigarette addiction in the restaurants we choose, my husband and son are proud of me, and I am not facing the waving hands and scrunched faces of the people whose air I was poisoning. After four years I am finally to the point where I find the smell of smoke gross. I finally got back to being able to smell like I did 20+ years ago before I ever smoked. My sense of smell is so keen now I can smell the cigarette smoke coming from the car in front of me at a light. I can smell the smoke from many, many feet away. At work, I can smell the smoke wafting up the elevator shaft from the dumb waiter where people gather when its too cold to stand outside. I can smell it in the entrance when people stand outside the door and light up. So if you are a smoker and you think your smoke shouldn't bother people think again. First and foremost you are poisoning them along with yourself and second, you just can't smell for yourself how nasty it is. I am glad the city decided to put smoking bans in affect. I hope that like me it will be an incentive for other people to kick the habit. Barb Lickness Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
