I was sitting at home alone lounging. My back was hurting. I had injured it as a 17-year-old and it’s never been right since. On top of that, my bunions were hurting and my knees were aching. As I recall, I was sitting there in front of the TV, probably feeling a bit sorry for myself, when a buddy stopped by for a visit.
The game was on, so we sat down to have a few beers, and watch it. After a while, he offed me a toke. This was in the mid 70’s or early 80’s, and in those days it was still illegal everywhere. (I’m from Michigan, and somewhere along the way, I heard that those caught smoking pot on the campus of The University of Michigan, were punished with a $5.00 fine, so I guess it wasn’t all that serious of a crime.) Anyway, I’d never even sampled it before, but I’d heard about it. I’d heard guys talk about how it mellows you out, but I don’t think I really understood what they meant by mellows you out. I guess I was still very naïve.
Well hell, I was in my own home, and I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, so I said, “Why Not?” That was all it took. He brought out a doobie, and we had a few tokes while we watched the game. When you’ve never smoked it before, it doesn’t take much of it before you really feel the effects, so of course, it affected me more than it did him. Soon I was giggling and having a great time.
Course, the mellower you get, the less you care about the game. So, we chatted some. Suddenly, I noticed that my back wasn’t troubling me nearly as much. Oh, it still hurt, but it wasn’t bothering me nearly as much.
Later I realized that my knees didn’t seem to bother me as much either. Oh, my bunions were still a problem, but even that wasn’t as noticeable. I’m not trying to say that it felt like marijuana was a miracle cure, but it sure did make my hurts less troublesome. All I know is, I finally felt like I understood what they were talking about, when they said that marijuana mellows you out.
It was years later before I tried it again. By then, I had moved to Florida, and met a gal who partook quite regularly. I had recently turned 50, and when she offered, once again I said, “why not?” I sampled it numerous times over the next few years, really beginning to believe in the benefits. However, I haven’t been with that gal in years and it’s been quite some time since I last toked. Occasionally, when my back is really hurting me, I remember those days, and wish I had a source.
Of course, it’s legal now, and I know I could go get a medical marijuana card, but I’m almost 80, and I’ve put up with the pain for over 60 years. Besides, when I was toking fairly regularly, I worried that it might be bad for my lungs.
I guess each of us just have to decide for ourselves, which evil, is the lesser evil. .
Gramps use’ta say
R.L.King2012 #556
About: Life’s Lessons
“Learn from the past,
but don’t live in it.”
Quoting Admiral Kilbride on NCIS: “The past is a place to learn from, not a place to live in.”
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