Grandpa's Lament

The other night at the family gathering, I watched you arrive and turn heads as you moved gracefully amongst the guests. You looked so poised and confident and it was obvious that the transition from an awkward little girl to a beautiful young lady was almost complete.
The crowd swallowed you up quickly and an hour must have passed before I saw you again. You were standing at the back of the crowd facing the garden and the lights from the house behind you cast a shadowy halo around you.
Then slowly you raised your hand to your mouth and I saw your face light up from the glow of a cigarette as you drew the toxic smoke into your young lungs and then blew it at the moon.
I had no idea that you smoked, Grandpa is often the last one to find these things out.
I have not been able to get that image of you out of my mind and I have struggled with the decision whether to write this or not. However I feel it is my duty to try and enlighten not just you but other young people, who may be struggling to resist the peer pressure that will change your lives for ever.
If you smoke:
You will always be struggling to pay for your habit.
Your clothes and body will smell putrid.
On the off chance that a boy gets close to your mouth the smell will be even worse for him.
You will probably die from an illness directly related to your smoking.
Chances are that your passive smoke will also take a couple of your non-smoking friends with you.
You will add fuel to the guilt trip that your Parents and Grandparents are feeling because of the example they set.
The difference between them and you is that they were not made aware of the dangers as you have been.
You know that the tobacco companies don't care less that you will probably die to feed their shareholders.
You know that the government needs the revenue to fund our health system which is collapsing under the weight of smoking affected patients.
You also know that your Parents and Grandparents do not have a choice to quit because of their addiction. However you can decide now to break the cycle and be ‘different' and strong. You may come under pressure and be ridiculed by some of your peers but your close friends will admire and respect your strength.
I am not writing this to wreck your Xmas, I am writing it because it is Xmas.
It's the end of the year when we look back at what went well for us and what didn't.
It's when we appreciate the company of our loved ones and reflect on those that are missing.
January 1st is also a time when we eagerly look forward the New Year and make choices and commitments that will help guide us through the exciting times ahead.
I have watched you grow from a bump in your Mum's tummy to the beautiful person you are today. I hope that you will be strong enough to resist the destructive temptations and make good choices that will keep you safe and well through the coming year.
I write this, not to spoil your fun and make you feel bad, but because I am getting on in years now and it is important for me to feel that I may have had some small positive input into your life and development.
Not because I want to control you, but because I love you.

G'pa 13.12.11

By David Herring