winter day smokers

I currently work in a corporate environment in Boston's financial
district. By definition, my life is narrow in a sense that I encounter
the same people on the bus every morning - the one's who go to similar
corporate jobs, and wait in same line with the same people craving
Italian food at the localViga restaurant. Normally, I don't pay them
much attention because things quite frankly, don't change very much.
Except for today - I felt inclined to point out something that really
stood out to me: corporate smokers. That's right - the men and women
who brave the elements and pending lung disease - so that they might
taste the sweet taste of nicotine and tobacco.

Like I said, I normally wouldn't pay them too much attention...except for the fact
that it was about 13 degrees for a high in Boston, with windchill
bordering negative temperatures at brisk 20mph+ gust. And believe me,
it was cold. Nevertheless, the observation came when I was making my
weekly trip to the local Seven 11 to purchase the loaf of stone ground
wheat bread that I would eventually turn into my mid morning peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches. Then I noticed them: a group of about 6-7
middle aged women - congregated in the general smoker's area - enduring
what I can only describe as blistering cold and numbing wind - all the
while they huddled close for warmth; each with a cigarette in their
hand.

I'm thinking to myself: smoking has already been proven
to be detrimental not only the smoker's health, but all those inhaling
second hand smoke. Despite all the surgeon general warnings, the
graphic truth.com commercials, and general public sentiment, these
women managed to break away from their presumably corporate cubicles to
smoke a butt with random strangers.

Rationally, I would conduct some sort of cost/benefit analysis to truly understand what could possibly motivate these women todo what they do. But as it stands, common sense trumps all! It doesn't matter whether they feel as if the nicotine
would get them through the day - or that they felt compelled to chat
about the new guy who happens to resemble a Hollywood star, during a smoke break - the fact of the matter is that there is a serious issue when one cannot withstand a
day without taking a smoke break - forced outside and into the blistering cold (thank you Massachusetts state ordinance); especially when it was only about 10:30 in the morning. Yup...1.5 hours in the chair and the nicotine is calling already. I wonder what is going to happen if there was a monsoon outside?