Non-Smoking

There's an essay floating around that is probably bait, but here we are. It speaks fondly of smoking. The thing is, I lived through the same period the author did and it, in the way nostalgia often does, leaves out some things. Smoking was allowed many places. Not schools, but that was kind of it. Restaurants had sections. There were fans or ventilation to try to keep the smoke contained. If you went somewhere like a concert, you had to plan for your clothes, your hair, your coat, your pores to reek of smoke. They sold basically hair Febreeze that you could spritz in your hair. Sure you could wash your hair. But sometimes, arriving home at 3am, I wanted to sleep first, but the smoke smell of my hair would be distracting while I was trying to fall asleep. I had a washable coat I wore to concerts, because I didn't want to go to work smelling like smoke all winter. Sure I had friends and coworkers who smoked. Sure, sometimes it was nice to dip outside with them and chat while they…