Smoking or not

We have smoking rooms in my motel. They're all guest rooms, but for some reason people don't always recognize that the only places to smoke in this motel are the guest rooms. I found people smoking in the pool area the other day. They were dropping the ashes into the window well. And they said, "but there's no sign saying 'no smoking.'" The lack of an ashtray didn't seem sufficient. For some reason that didn't seem a reasonable response, but I could just have been thinking about how to clean the ashes out of the window sill or, more specifically the grooves where the window runs as it opens.

Then there was another person who I saw smoking on the stairs. She was sitting on the stairs. And I told her this was a no-smoking area. She said, "I just lit it before going outside." That didn't seem all that plausible. And it was not in the winter so it wasn't too cold outside. And sitting on the stairs just doesn't eseem necessary in order to light a cigarette. And there are some benches outside on which to sit if you need to do so to light a cigarette.

And I just don't get it sometimes.

Smoke, don't smoke - that's a personal decision. Most of the reason I've never tried to smoke tobacco or pot is that I can't stand the smell of either. But smoking either is a person's personal decision. It is important to me that you also respect me when you do so. Smoke in a smoking permitted area. I don't want to smell it. I'm not going to argue that it's bad for me as I think the studies about second-hand smoke are somewhat lacking in substance, but I will argue that I shouldn't have to put up with the smell or the cleaning that are associated with smoking unless I want to visit an area where smoking is allowed.

Smoke, don't smoke, but don't let your smoking pose a problem for others.