Yay it's that time of the year! For Christmas shopping.. and discovering new routes to awkward moments apparently. So, I'd managed to find one gift that I was looking for, and because I was feeling lazy about seeking out and buying wrapping paper, I decided to support a good cause and use the services of the charity gift wrappers at the mall. Having been one of the volunteers last year, I especially felt like I should contribute in some way, since I didn't volunteer this year.
Anyhow, my gift-wrapper was a kind old lady, with a great sense of humour, and a really soft heart. She whispered conspiratorially that she'd give me a discount (don't worry I still paid the full amount - it was for charity!!!). But anyhow, my story's point is that we were talking and one of the other volunteers said she was going out for a smoke, and my gift-wrapper said "You'll get cancer like that," and the other volunteer replied "already had it - in the throat." At which point my gift wrapper shook her head and then told me that she herself had cancer, and that the third volunteer, an elderly gentleman, also had had cancer, and she just couldn't understand why people kept smoking (in general, and especially after being diagnosed with cancer). She then mentioned her friend whom is a doctor and smokes, and his wife who's a nurse, and that they'd all had cancer, and she just hated the way they were using up resources, taking up spots where people who actually were trying to get better (i.e., not smoking) could have been.
So my mind wandered as she told the story, to my own deceased grandfather, who died of lung cancer and smoked just about up until the day he died. I stood there shuffling my feet, trying to hide my sinking mood and warring emotions over whether I agreed with the lady or not. I nodded along and fought the urge to tell her my own grandfather had been that way. I resisted that temptation, for it served no purpose, other than to smash another's cheer. Instead I nodded along thoughtfully, thanked her kindly when she was finished, and left.
She meant no harm of course, and she had a point, that I may even agree with. I was even angry at my grandfather at the time... but nevertheless... one should always be careful about one criticizes in front of others, for you never know what it means to them...
My maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather were the same way - both died of lung cancer. I think you'll find that that generation was very much like that. No one was enforcing the whole "make sure people know that smoking causes cancer!" thing and since there were no restrictions on where you could smoke, it was easier to do it ceaselessly and therefore harder to quit.
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