Taking a Breather

The first time my friend Wendy asked me to take a cigarette break with her, we were 17 years old. We had only known each other a few weeks, and she knew I was not a smoker. I looked at her and laughed, but she rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t have to smoke. Just come outside with me and keep me company.” She then took my arm and escorted me outside for our first cigarette break. Thus began a ritual that continued throughout our college years and into the decades afterwards.

For me and Wendy, the words “cigarette break” became code for “let’s get out of here for a few minutes.” Whether it was an intense group study session or a sorority chapter meeting, no one questioned a smoker’s need for a brief escape back in those days. The breaks served as a way for us to stop whatever we were doing and to talk to each other one-on-one. We have continued our breaks throughout the years because of how great it feels to get outside with a friend when a room feels crowded, stuffy, tense or overwhelming.

I thought of my friend Wendy and our cigarette breaks when I recently came across a New York Magazine article entitled “I Mean, Why Shouldn’t We All Smoke Cigarettes Again?” The headline initially made me bristle, but the article captured a feeling that was present in my cigarette breaks with Wendy. I did not smoke, so it was not the cigarettes making the breaks feel liberating, it was the stolen moments with my friend.

Smoking is, of course, an unhealthy and dangerous habit that can lead to serious health consequences, and I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to refrain from smoking. Taking even a brief break outdoors, on the other hand, is an underrated way to clear our heads, inhale some fresh air and calm ourselves in a hectic world. And, like most things, it’s even better when we invite a friend to join us.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

–Anne Lamott