I wish I hadn’t, but until last year I too was a smoker. I would try to step away from the group, but I now realize moving 10 feet away is not nearly enough. It doesn’t help the nonsmoking group much unless the wind is blowing the other way. Now I’m one of the poor slobs standing in the group, suddenly getting a lung full of smoke, seemingly from no where. Smokers need to realise, “just because you are with a group of people outside does not mean you can smoke. Please don’t stand in the middle of everyone and smoke. We signed up, and paid to be there, to do what we are there to do. It is not for me to have to walk away, and miss what I am there to do. If you need to smoke, “you need to leave the group”, and go a good 25 feet away.

What you may not realize, is some of the people in the group may not be well. Just because they are there that day, doesn’t mean they are in top health. Even gravely ill people still go to stores, BBQ’s, and events, & smoke is an assault on their (all of our) system.