I know it’s an addiction, and a very tough one to break. I watched my father die of lung cancer in a matter of weeks because he could never break the habit. I fear I will watch my father in law die of a smoking related illness because he also just.cannot.quit. I know it’s hard, and I’m not asking you to quit, though I wish you would for the sake of your own health.

What I’m asking is some courtesy for those of us who cannot tolerate cigarette smoke. And I do realize that many many smokers *are* considerate. But for those of you who stand right outside the door of a business, getting in one last puff before you go in and *gasp* have to do without for 30 minutes while you shop, I cannot tell you how hard it is to avoid that cloud of smoke. Typically it is not a huge problem for me…I grew up with my father smoking in the house until my teenage years. (Which is when he had his first heart attack and my mom put her foot down…he smoked the rest of his life but he hid it from us.) But when I’m pregnant, the smell alone makes me very ill. And my asthma gets really bad during pregnancy and even the smallest whiff of cigarette smoke can make my lungs completely seize up and send me into an asthma attack. It was particularly bad in Gatlinburg last weekend…seemed like every other person there was a smoker and just walked around blowing their smoke everywhere. I lost count of how many times I had to use the inhaler.

It’s even worse for my oldest son. He was diagnosed with asthma several years ago and since then, we have to be very careful about exposing him to smoke. I hate having to ask him to hold his breath so we can walk into the grocery store. He doesn’t get typical asthma attacks when he breathes what we call “bad air”…instead, he ends up sick with a cough and it generally lasts up to a week or more. And just recently, it led to pneumonia. I do not know the root cause, but undoubtedly his asthma had something to do with it. And of course, “bad air” can be anything from cigarette smoke to poor air quality that day. I’m super thankful for the new flags being flown in Sanford telling us what the air quality is on any given day…but the truth is, that’s only part of the problem for us. Cigarette smoke is unavoidable in this area and I really wish people would consider the health of others even if they don’t care about their own.

So please, finish that butt in your car. Or stand well away from the doors. If you’re out at an event where there are children around, please consider leaving the area where others are. A couple of weeks ago at Function at the Junction, people sat right down next to where our family was and lit up. Why??? I always see people sitting across the road above the railroad tracks smoking, and I’m so grateful to them for it. Most of all, remember that smoke doesn’t just affect your health…it affects everyone around you who has to breathe it as well. Some more than others.