I have to write of an event from our vacation over the 4th of July.
One day while our family was frolicking in the hotel pool, a woman came through the area to take advantage of the outdoor patio area that was just outside of the pool area. She carried a towel, a book, a vat of coffee and other such sundries. She proceeded to undress down to her bikini, slather baby oil onto her already deeply tanned skin, drink her coffee and smoke her cigarettes while reading a book. It was the triple-play of cancer-causing activities.
My kids were fascinated by her behavior. For one, they’ve never seen a person smoking cigarettes up close before. Marissa kept stopping to stare out the patio doors at her, wondering what she was doing.
Wayne and I took this opportunity to talk about the fact that some people choose to smoke and the toll it takes on your body and lungs. Lindsey asked what it might do to your body, so we talked about how it turns your lungs black, makes you unable to breathe a full breath, etc.
Shortly after this Marissa got even closer to the patio window to watch this woman who was thankfully blissfully going about her business without paying attention to the two little girls staring at her unabashedly. I finally called Marissa away, that it was rude to stare at people.
She replied, “ But I want to see her turn black.”
I had to explain that smoking makes something on your insides turn black, not your outsides. I think for a minute there she thought all African American people were smokers.
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