The Bigger Picture: Today is the anniversary of the smoking ban and I encourage everyone to go out and celebrate - not least because it's also my birthday!
I have, of course, always been delighted with our ban. I couldn't have been more pleased with the forces of the universe that made it also arrive on the same day that marks my birth - a day most sacred, triumphant and significant of all days in my year.
I realise many people will find little reason to celebrate today, but I'd like to suggest that it's incredibly worthwhile to do so.
I love birthdays. I can't see any point in honouring or celebrating any day of the year more than my own birthday. No one else's birthday or religious holy day seems as significant, as without my own day, I wouldn't be here to know or participate in it.
Birthdays are our greatest celebrations possible, representing life, hope and the wonder of the universe. I wouldn't miss it for anything.
Smoking, on the other hand, halts this life in you. There isn't a human being on the planet that doesn't struggle with feeling awkward and isolated.
The use of drugs to suppress this, without a doubt, makes it more intense. It's no wonder, then why smokers become so aggressively mean when we ask them to stop smoking, even for a few minutes.
The blind panic that ensues was well documented this time last year during the campaign to prevent the ban from being implemented.
There is a loss of control of one's self and purpose, replaced by a drive to do nothing but get more nicotine into you as soon as possible.
The roar and protest of smokers is so present in our lives, we would be forgiven for believing there were a lot of them.
However it's not true - 76 per cent of our population do not smoke! That's three out of four of us. We are the majority, and so there can be no denying that we are more cool.
It's even more ironic when you consider that most smokers begin their habit because they want to be popular, trendy and accepted by the crowd.
The fact is that the crowd doesn't smoke, and by taking up the habit, you are not helping yourself become part of it.
Nevertheless, it's true that anyone could become a smoker.
The habit was formed by chance of circumstances and an inability to make good personal decisions in times of peer pressure. We have all fallen victim to this at one time or another, and always with painful consequences.
Luckily for some of us smoking wasn't involved in these moments of struggle, for those who have smoked and managed to quit will remind us that there is no more addictive a substance on our planet than nicotine.
But, as much as smoking hurts smokers, it is profoundly stressful to those who love them. It hurts us deeply to watch people we believe in behave as though they carry less power and potential than they actually do.
For the children of smokers, it is even more damaging to be forced to have people as your role models who are unable to prioritise the significance of either themselves or others.
Much more destructive than second-hand smoke is the inability to fully celebrate the hope and beauty that is life itself.
Still, smokers will tell you their smoking is a celebration. They love it. It gives them real pleasure. They'll even go as far as asking their loved ones to accept them as they are. If persisted upon, however, they will turn on you quickly, and tell you to leave them alone - alone with their cigarettes, their "pleasure" and the acceptance of their shrinking community.
The truth, however, is that smoking is not fun. It's not living. It's not pleasure. It's a suppression of life which drains a lot of time and money away from that which is genuine. It harms not only your lungs, throat and circulatory system, but your very ability to stand tall and be courageous as a human being.
It's an artificially induced pleasure - an illusion or masquerade - torturing your brain into faking joy rather than really living it. It dulls your senses and independence, and turns an otherwise intelligent and emotional human being into a mere mechanism for servicing itself.
Life with real celebration is much more satisfying. The more of us that do this - unashamedly - the more the addicts will try to hit us and hit us hard.
At least we know that there are more of us than them, and that what we ask for makes sense. More importantly, we must remember that we are the role models of hope they need.
If you are still resisting great celebrations for a smoke-free life committed to intelligence, humanity and vital health, feel free to go out and celebrate my birthday. You have my sincerest invitation.
• Shalini Sinha has worked as a life coach and counsellor and presents the intercultural programme, Mono, on RTÉ. She has a BA in anthropology and a MA in women's studies