still smoking

This morning, I got stuck behind a smoker on the sidewalk. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get around her, so I had to deal with her cigarette smoke blowing in my face for about three blocks. Gross!

I've had an intense hatred towards cigarettes ever since my grandfather died from lung cancer when I was just five years old; I never really had the chance to get to know him. And now, my grandmother on the other side of the family is dealing with a ton of health problems — from heart disease to blood clots to emphysema — thanks to her pack-a-day habit spanning over 50 years.

To her credit, she quit smoking cold turkey after she had a heart attack. She told us that if she were to pick up another cigarette, she might as well start digging her grave. Morbid, but true.

Whenever I see someone my age smoking, I can't help but wonder why. It was different for our grandparents; they honestly didn't know how addictive it is and how harmful it is for your health. It wasn't even widely reported until 1964 that smoking leads to lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. But today, it's such common knowledge what cigarettes are going to do to you that I can't understand why anyone would pick up the dirty habit.

I'm curious — what do you think of cigarettes?

xoxo,
Kristen
CG! Editorial Intern

P.S. If you do smoke, New Year's resolutions are right around the corner...just a thought!