How Do You Tell Your Neighbor That Her Caretaker Smokes?
Maybe she knows and doesn’t care…
I am a runner and I like to hit the road early in the mornings. I’m up around six and out the door at about 6:30 or 6:45.
While I welcomed the sight of Turkey vultures and gaggle of geese flying over my head, I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke!
In the past, I have dealt with a new neighborhood where the houses were still being built which put a wrench in my run on many days. I even switched out my days or go out earlier to avoid garbage and recycle pickups. Now that all the houses are completed in the neighborhood, I revel in my morning runs.
While I welcome the sight of Turkey vultures and gaggle of geese flying over my head, I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke!
I have had to deal with a parked, white SUV with opened windows and a smoker. Yet I smell the fumes even though I’m on the other side of the street.
Many times frustrated, I’ve decided to turn around and shorten my loop. But that is not the run that I want to engage in or like. Having to do a smaller loop 10 times to reach my goal isn’t ideal, but I do it until they leave.
A runner requires big gulps of air, not hydrogen cyanide or lead!
“The air in the immediate vicinity of an active smoker contains a mixture of sidestream smoke, exhaled mainstream smoke, and any smoke that passes through the porous paper surrounding.”
I definitely know that I don’t want to get high on nicotine while I’m running. Not to mention the risk of cancer, cardiovascular, and heart disease. This has been constant for over a year. I knew smoking was bad for one’s health, but I didn’t know that sidestream smoke entailed 7,357 drastic compounds.
Sometimes I have tried to hold my breath as I run past, but a runner requires big gulps of air, not hydrogen cyanide or lead. Yet, this person finds that one spot to park on a three-quarter mile-long road that has the highest elevation. It is like clockwork every time I’m out there no matter the temperature. So holding my breath doesn’t work very well in that specific area and my pace slows down uphill even though I push myself to go by faster.
Other times I am in luck to see the SUV coming towards me, and before they park and open the window, I would run past heading to the Pages.
Pages is another neighborhood that I explored one day to feel it out when the attack of workers was still building in my neighborhood. The name belongs to a friend of my 5th grader who lives a short distance. So naturally, it became the Pages neighborhood. But it’s not easy getting to that neighborhood.
I constantly, deal with heavy commuting traffic on a two-lane road with no sidewalk. Not to mention the people who like to show off their driving skills in their new Tesla or Jaguar or some other fancy cars. Though the main road is dangerous, some drivers are considerate and slow down or swerve past when the opposing lane is empty.
Needless I don’t enjoy the transition to get to the Pages, but I do enjoy running the three-mile loop in that neighborhood. Lots of wavers and NO smokers, but I don’t want to go over there each time I run because it’s dangerous, and the terrain is flat.
I certainly don’t want to trek out of my perfectly great neighborhood, but more times, I am forced to.
I only incorporate Pages when I’m doing a long run or a half-marathon to change up my terrain and interest. Or when I have a hurdle like this smoker. I certainly don’t want to trek out of my perfectly great neighborhood which has nice varying elevations that give me five miles, each time I’m out there.
The smoker doesn’t begin their shift until eight in the morning. I know that because just about five minutes to eight they drive off and turn into my neighbor’s driveway. But I’m not sure why they have to arrive 30 minutes early and hang out in their vehicle, smoking while the window is open?
Why can’t they smoke in their vehicle with the windows closed? I suppose it’s not ideal for them to inhale their cigarette smoke, but I guess it’s ideal for me to do so. Why should I?
Maybe it’s their morning “wake me up, doozy” like coffee or tea drinkers like me? And they need that time to smoke, like me to run! Why not park in my neighbor’s driveway? Or hang out at the shopping area which is only seven minutes away?
Maybe they don’t know that a shopping area is close by. They could simply ask my neighbor, correct? But then again it’s obviously not an issue that is on their conscience so why would they ask!
I have been dealing with this for over a year, and I’m not sure how to tackle this problem? I have muddled it over and over many times and haven’t come to a viable solution.
If only they would keep their window closed.
Though I have the nerve to just go up to the car and tell them that it’s inappropriate to park and smoke in the neighborhood.
Would it be wrong for me to do that because it’s a public street? But I do pay an HOA fee (homeowner association) and feel that I deserve that gall.
The double gall would be to go knock on my neighbor’s door and ask her if she knows that her caretaker smokes! She may just simply say, “yes, and I don’t care.” Then what do I do then?
With the rampant increase of COVID, I feel a sense of responsibility for my health!
Look, for all the smokers that are reading this, I have nothing against you or anyone who smokes anything. I truly don’t give a hoot! But when it interferes with my space or zoning of air, especially now with the rampant COVID, I feel a sense of responsibility for my health! Inhaling cigarette smoke is not one of them.
They don’t live here, I do!
I’m just frustrated with having to sidetrack this person almost every time I run in my neighborhood!
What should I do? I welcome any suggestions.
Thanks for reading my qualm!
