Maybe I’m feeling especially cynical having been in the hospital for the second time in two weeks. Or maybe people are just stupid. Or maybe it’s both.

This is going to be one of the rare times you see/hear/read me rant. I am normally way too laid back for that. However, when I do get riled up about something, it is usually important (at least to me).

The background: My wonderful husband, thin, in shape, healthy…with a defective heart valve. 1995: Open heart surgery to repair the valve. 1996-2003: Ablations to correct irregular heart rhythm. 2003: Pacemaker 2005: New Pacemaker.

The disclaimer: First of all just let me say that in general I feel that if you aren’t hurting anyone else with your bad habits, go for it. It’s still a free country, right? However, when you begin to infringe on others (which can happen in a variety of ways) all bets are off. For example…smokers. (If you are a smoker: I have nothing against smokers as people. I really just worry about you. I think almost anyone would agree that smoking is bad for your health. I wish you would take care of yourself. People love you and want you to be around for as long as possible.)

The rant: What the hell is wrong with people? You have a perfectly good heart and yet you insist on making it sick. Medical history of the man in the room with Jim (no privacy when there is only a thin curtain to separate you from the next bed)…pack a day smoker for 20 years, throat cancer, heart attack, pneumonia, diabetic, stints in heart and an angiogram. You would think after they burned the crap out of his throat to get rid of the cancer that he would stop. Nooooooo. Let’s keep smoking so that the general public can pay for my care since I have no insurance. So what is he in the hospital for…to get another angiogram since he has been experiencing shortness of breath. DUH!!!! Quit smoking you idiot! Not only is it bad for your lungs, but it also causes all kinds of heart problems. Which brings me to my point…it’s so not fair that the majority of people start out with a perfect heart and then do these crazy things to screw it up while my husband who really takes care of himself got screwed with a crappy heart. It just makes me crazy!