Smoker’s Courtesy

I was walking into my pediatrician’s office just a couple days ago, bringing my sick three month old baby into see the doctor. She had a horrible cough. As my husband and I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car there was a guy puffing away right in front of the door. I had to walk my sick infant right past him, chest cold and all.

Most smokers are parked outside the front doors of buildings puffing away because they are not allowed to smoke inside in the privacy of their offices. Some places have given smokers a designated area to smoke outside, complete with a bench and butt disposal, but few seem to use it. They prefer to be right outside the building, possibly because their boss is already on their case about taking too many breaks. They want to get the smoke in as quickly as possible and get back to work.

This causes a problem for those of us entering and exiting the building. Since picking up and kicking the habit, I now have smoke induced asthma. Simply walking past a cloud of smoke on my way into a place of business can send me into a coughing fit. If you see me looking a bit disgusted and running into the building, I’m not trying to snub you or make you feel like a second class citizen. I’d just prefer to keep breathing.

I can handle running past you hanging out in front of Wal-Mart, I might even shoot you a smile. But I have a request. If you work in a pediatrician’s office, please don’t smoke right in front of the door. This might come as a shock, but sick kids are walking in and out of that office.