Depictions on the silver screen of yore make smoking look glamorous and even sexy, but smoking is bad for your health, and at this point in history everybody knows it. However, it’s addictive and apparently quite enjoyable for some. My mother continued to smoke throughout her diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer, and my oldest son is a smoker. (The first time I saw him in the backyard taking a drag, I was filled with alarm. “Christian,” I said, “You promised your grandmother on her deathbed that you wouldn’t smoke, ever.” My mother passed away eleven years ago, and Christian was only thirteen at the time so perhaps he’d forgotten that promise, and I know my reminder was a cheesy, manipulative mother-type ploy, but he did promise. No matter, Christian continued to inhale, seemingly unfazed by my story.)
Smoking is
one vice I’ve never been tempted to try, for which I’m grateful. It’s
expensive, it plays havoc with your dental health, it jacks up your vocal
cords, and did I mention that it kills? Well, not exactly, but scores of
experts have.
I realize that smoking is a bona fide addiction, and I’m not trying to
pick on smokers—much. In fact, I’m writing to pass on a tip.
The other
day I saw a banner hanging in the doorway of my neighborhood dollar store. (Who
am I kidding? I don’t have a neighborhood dollar store. In this part of town we
have like, five of those suckers within a three-block radius, but anyhoo…) The banner
read LOW PRICE CIGARETTES.
I’m all
for a bargain, I guess, and I’ve shopped at the dollar store as often as the
next gal, but these are the people that brought us toothpaste mixed with
diethylene glycol, the stuff used to make antifreeze, okay? Since I don’t smoke, maybe I shouldn’t
attempt to think like a smoker, but I know I wouldn’t trust these people with
my cigarettes. (Or my grammar. Shouldn’t the banner have read “Low-Priced
Cigarettes”?)
Well, perhaps
when it’s all said and done, there’s no cause for concern. After all, the statistics
have to be on the side of the dollar store. What could be the harm in one or two more deadly
chemicals among 600?
No comments:
Post a Comment