Breathing

I usually get my inspiration and ideas of things to write about when I ride my bike to work. Since it's unusually warm today, I opted for the bike instead of the campus bus. I'm such a lame biker. I've heard about people that ride up the hills just to get a better workout. I don't understand those people. I choose the relatively flat route to get to and from work and that means I pedal almost the whole time, and I'm breathing hard in very short order.

I have asthma, but I don't like to tell people that. It's how I was brought up; no telling people about your life-threatening condition because people might treat you differently or feel sorry for you. I still take my inhalers in another room so people won't hear me.  I believe my lungs are permanently damaged from being so ill during my formative years. I remember sitting there as a young child, watching TV and was amazed to see people run and not become disabled, or as my mother has commented, turn a scary shade of blue. I've seen my own daughter struggle to breathe and watched her lips turn blue and I understand that helpless feeling I know my mother felt.

After arriving to work, parking my bike and heading to the office,  I was passed by several runners that were running up the steps of campus. I could hear their labored breathing as they ran by. It's pretty humid today, so the sweat was really streaming off of them as they did their thing. I removed my bike helmet and was fluffing out my hair to rid myself of helmet head when I heard laughter. Curious as to the source, I looked about and found a trio of students sitting on one of the concrete benches that are strategically placed around campus. They were watching the runners, and puffing away on cigarettes, gesturing towards them and snickering. I frowned, trying to get a handle on this scenario. It also created in me a desire to look up a few little facts about smoking and probably the most staggering number was 45.3 million American adults smoke cigarettes. The next fact listed was that in 2011, states will collect $25.3 billion from tobacco taxes and legal settlements, but states are spending only 2% of the $25.3 billion on tobacco control programs. Money. I knew it, it's always about money. But I digress. This isn't about statistics or money, it's about seeing collegians puff away, choosing to damage their lungs knowing what those things will do to them and having the nerve to laugh at those who choose a healthier lifestyle by exercising.  When someone says to me, well we always have done things a certain way, I gently reply, yes-but now we know better. My Granddad ate bacon everyday, and lived a long time, but now we know better. Cars used to be made without seat belts, but today we know better.  They used to give cigarettes to soldiers to help boost morale, now they know better. My lungs were damaged by a disease and lack of medications that are available today, but it wasn't my choice. Educated young adults should think about what they are doing, whether it's choosing to live a healthy lifestyle or shorten their lives.