Puff, Puff, Share
I was walking along the side of my house yesterday, weeding the side yard (no pun intended), when an overpowering smell hit me. I sniffed for a moment, recognizing the smell from my younger years, when I realized what it was.
Now, personally, I don’t care what you do in your own home. It’s none of my business. If you want to smoke WHATEVER, as long as you’re not doing it near me, I don’t care. But what bothered me is the fact that the smell was so unbelievably strong that it lead me to believe that someone was hiding behind the garage. Directly next to my fence. Right next to my deck.
And that bothered me.
Not so much for my sake; I’ve been to enough concerts to know that particular smell. But I have a three-year-old daughter who plays in that yard… and suddenly, I feel like the biggest square on the planet. All my life, I’ve never cared if people around me chose to do drugs; its their choice. I actually hung around a really rough crowd in my younger years where drugs were more than recreational; they were part of life. (And on a side note, I want to point out that peer pressure was never a problem with my friends. I chose not to do drugs, which made them perfectly happy because they didn’t have to share.)
But now, as a mom, there is a fear there that I’ve never felt before. The neighbors who moved out were nice, quiet people. Granted, I hated their little yap-yap dog, but I’d much prefer the yapping to a stoner hiding out behind the garage.
It’s sad to say, but my biggest hope now is that weed is all they’re into. Otherwise, we may have a problem.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I’ll never forget the first time I smelled that. I was 12 at a Beach Boys concert in 1982. Stinks! I don’t know why people feel the need to share their smoke.
~Jef
May 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I had a similar experience not too long ago with a neighbor kid sitting on a small balcony sparking up. At first, I got all “hmm, should I tell his parents?” Luckily, I got my head straight and remembered that he wasn’t my kid or my responsibility. It was a kind of funny moment, though.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:47 am
I got over being alarmed by this type experience a long time ago. In a society as diverse, (all hail diversity), with no common ties between social groups nor any base line for a societal norm and an open borders policy, you had best get used to anything because for the most part, anything goes. And just because you may have been born here, or because you live in the burbs or worse………be white, doesn’t mean it’s your place or right to say anything about it. In fact if you do, you’re liable to be subjected to reprisal. I’d suggest you get over yourself, get a gun, practice every week and enjoy the melee!
May 21st, 2008 at 10:55 am
Can you say NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION?
Now I’ll add my last “weed” story. Cuz and I went to a Led Zepplin concert at UNO a few years ago, I knew what was being smoked all around us and she didn’t but kept telling me, hey they’re not suppose to smoke ciggerettes in here, it’s a fire hazard- yeah cuz. I got tickeled, probably a cabin buzz! Anyway the concert was great and I kept praying please don’t let them pass that party joint over our way! (I finally told her what it was after the concert)