I don’t smoke (though I have, on occasion, inhaled) but I used to feel sorry for smokers. Shoo’ed out of airplanes and offices, then restaurants and bars, and pretty soon, all public places (for damn good reason, mind you!), they are forced to cluster where people are not, shielding their eyes from self-righteous “don’t you dare breathe that cancer dust on me!” types. Go ahead and smoke I used to say, its your right and you should enjoy it.

However, when I’m lining up my approach shot on the 1st hole at Torrey Pines and I look down at my feet to check out my alignment and spot a cigarette butt on the manicured fairway, it makes me want wrap my beloved 7-iron around a smoker’s neck. We go to the beach by our place quite often and I’ve found my kids making sand castles with cigarette butts repurposed as cannons or as chairs around the kitchen table. Ewwww! And about once a week, while I’m out doing my errands, I will spot somebody flicking their spent cigarette butt out their car window while driving. I gave chase for awhile once before my senses regained control of me, but talk about road rage! I’ve never seen anyone toss batteries or a Big Gulp out of a moving car onto the highway, but how do cigarette butts not count as trash? I just don’t get it.

Come on smokers! Are you just pissed off at your disappearing smoker’s freedoms and this is your payback? Flicking a butt in the face of society? Society is trying to push you the way of the dinosaur. Don’t let this be your legacy.

Love Lucie