Is It Worth It?

Weed is legal now in a lot of states!! YAY!! You can buy it for recreational use and, in some states, you can even grow it. Everybody is thrilled about it and overly excited for it to become legal so that their fun was no longer forbidden. But you know what? I couldn't care less about it because I don't see the point of it.

I've tried it a few times in the way distant past. Haven't touched it in years because I don't get it. I don't understand why people feel the need to be high all the time. I don't understand what it does for them to cause them to need to feel disconnected. Medical reasons I understand; if it helps, have at it. Recreational use is beyond my comprehension at this point.

I worked in a movie theater recently and saw people who must have hot-boxed their vehicle before they came to see the film. They'd stand at the concession stand swaying in their shoes, unable to even focus on the menu because they couldn't keep their eyes open. Then they'd ask questions with, quite literally, obvious answers because they couldn't comprehend what they were seeing right in front of them. And the stink would linger for what felt like forever after they left, giving me an almost instant headache.

People come to the drive-thru at the pharmacy where I now work for my second job and I pass them off to another employee because I don't want the headache that I know I'll get from the weed stink coming from their vehicle. So not only are people getting high, they're driving under the influence, too. Doesn't make me feel real safe on the roads, especially when I'm driving my garbage truck and smell it coming from passing vehicles.

Yes, I'm a professional driver who put a lot of hard work into getting my CDL and, even if I cared about getting high, I won't risk my license for a little recreational enjoyment. But I see a lot of people who don't seem to care one way or the other. "Weed is legal so it must be okay for me to drive while I'm high." Guess what! It's not! It's still driving while impaired and carries fines and even jail time, depending on the offense. But you don't care about that because you get to use it legally now.

However, even though it's state legal it's not federally legal and anyone with a CDL is still forbidden from using it. Again, you people don't care. I've seen co-workers lose their jobs because they got called in for a random drug test and dropped dirty because of a now-legal drug. Not only did they lose this job but they can't get another driving job because they also lost their license for a year, minimum, according to federal regulations.

Since many companies require a drug test before being hired, I wonder how well they'll do getting another job at all. Okay, okay, there are detox drinks and shit like that that someone can take on the day of a drug test and hope they pass it. Then they do and they get the job, and continue getting high on their off time. A few months later they get called in for a random test and - BAM - another job down the tubes. And that's for anyone, not just drivers.

"YAY! I CAN LEGALLY GET HIGH IN MY FREE TIME NOW!" But you're risking your job, possibly your career, and maybe even your driver's license, along with tickets and jail time if you get caught driving while you're high. So let me ask you? Is it worth it? The fun you have while you're high might be great in your opinion, but at what cost?

"It helps me forget my problems," you might say. But the problems are still there when you come back down. "I have anxiety/stress (or whatever other issue you might claim) so it helps with that." There are other ways to combat those problems, too, and I'm not talking about medications. With a little research, I'm sure you can find those measures on your own. Google it.

I'm not lecturing, not condemning, not judging. I'm questioning. I know a lot of people who use weed in some form on a daily basis, and that's their choice. It's also your choice. You do you, but keep it away from me. I simply don't get it and I don't understand why people would risk so much on so little.

Until next time...peace to all.

So Much Anger, All the Time

Well, it feels good to be back after a long hiatus, again. But here I am and I'm going to try, yet again, to be here on a more regular basis. We'll see what happens, I guess. There is just so much going on lately, and so much to say, that it's hard to find time to sit and toss my thoughts out there. I'm going to start making the time, though, because I deserve it. So we'll get right into it now, shall we?

One thing I've noticed over the past however long is the constant anger I see everywhere. From so many people. People who are always griping and complaining and walking around with sour faces and negative attitudes. And, for the life of me, I don't understand why. I probably will never understand either, and there's no use in even trying. I just think it must be so exhausting to walk around so miserable all the time. I don't think I could carry that much negativity and still get through each day.

Before we moved we had several neighbors who were always screaming and yelling over things that seemed trivial. I know why they were angry because I could hear everything they said, all the time. Our next-door neighbor was either screaming inside her home or, if we got lucky, screaming at someone on the phone from the parking lot. It was almost like she needed to show the entire neighborhood that she was angry. In the two years we lived next door to her I never once saw her smile.

I work with people, at two different jobs, who are always angry about their job, or that the local sports team lost a game, or the weather is not to their liking. Customers are always complaining that we didn't serve them properly, regardless of which job I'm at. They complain because their trash wasn't dumped properly or their prescription wasn't filled on time. And it's not just complaining, there is anger behind it. I don't get it.

There are thousands of videos online posted by people who are angry that things aren't the way they think everything ought to be. If it isn't their way, it's wrong and that makes them angry. People disagree with them and they get offended and angry. They don't like what their elected officials are doing and that makes them angry. Policies at work changed and they get angry. It doesn't matter what it is, they get angry over it.

Their neighbor drives an ugly car, anger. Their kid didn't get invited to a birthday party, anger. Their favorite restaurant closed, anger. Prices at the supermarket went up, anger. Someone's talking too loudly, anger. They hit every stoplight on the way to work, anger. A coworker got a raise and they didn't, anger. So. Much. Anger.

Why? What's the point of all the anger? What good does it do? Does it change anything? Maybe, but probably not. So why not express the feelings once and then let the issue go? Constant anger causes physical problems - heart conditions, raised blood pressure, digestive issues, muscle aches, and more. It also causes stress in the household because most often people take their anger out on those closest to them which only causes more anger from those around them. It's an unending cycle.

I'm not saying I don't get angry, because I do. I don't, however, hold onto it. There is no reason for me to because it doesn't do me any good physically, mentally or emotionally. I don't want to be angry all the time because I would prefer to focus on the positive things going on around me. I choose to not focus on what displeases me, and I choose to not make angry people around me the focus of my day. If something makes me angry, I voice it and move on because, most times, there isn't anything I can do to change or fix the issue anyway. If I can, I do; if I can't, I let it go.

It's just really sad to think that so many people feel the need to focus so much on their anger. If they really think about it, is the anger worth it? Will it make everything all better? Will it even matter a month, a year, or ten years from now? Is the issue really that big in the grand scheme of life? If it is to you, so be it. Just know that the only one you're hurting is yourself, but that's your choice, I guess. I'm just going to sit over here and stay out of your way.

Until next time...peace to all.