even more car conversations

i promise this post isn't about winkys.  there's only so much of that a person can handle.  i should know.  so no more winky talk around here.  today i'm moving on to a much more appropriate topic.

(drum roll please)

drugs. 

you heard me.  my children are learning all kinds of valuable tidbits here at the white house.  and i run an anti-discrimination household.  no topic is off limits.  clearly.

now that harrison can read he provides a running commentary during road trips. 

"mommy, that sign says speed limit 40 but you are going 45" 
"right lane must turn right" 
"watch for bikes"
"no u-turn"
"stop"

and one that doesn't actually need the ability to read...

"mommy, when the light turns yellow it means slow down but you went faster."

the little rascal thinks he knows everything.

a couple weeks ago, however, he read a sign and needed help figuring out the meaning. 

"mommy, what's MMJ?"

seriously?  couldn't he have skipped over that one?  lord help me. 

i took a deep breath and explained that the letters in the sign were short for the bigger words Medical Mari Juana but did not elaborate further.  thankfully, his curiosity was satisfied.  no doubt he filed that info away in his ever-expanding file cabinet of a brain and will pull it out when we least expect it.  probably at church.  the pastor will say, "hi harrison, good to see you today" and harrison will respond back, "MMJ means medical mari juana."  yup.  i'd bet money on it. 

a few days later, as we were driving to the library, we had another drug related incident.  i was stopped at a red light (i slowed for the yellow, thank you very much) and a bass-booming car pulled up to the right of us.  i looked at the driver, he looked at me, i looked away.  you know how that goes.  but then, in my peripheral vision, i noticed he was getting jumpy.  he kept inching forward and revving his engine.  i looked over at him again and could not believe what i saw.

the driver had a glass pipe in his mouth, had a piece of tin foil in his left hand and was holding a lighter under the foil with his right hand. 

he was smoking meth. 

while in a car.

while driving a car.

i was stunned. 

what do i do?  should i mind my own business?  should i call the police?  should i call 911?  should i call the non-emergency line?  look at his license plate!  get the number!  look at his car!  what's the make, model, color?!  my mind was RACING!  almost as fast as he was when the light finally turned green.

i did end up calling 911.  (when have i ever minded my own business?)  i was able to give them our location, which direction he was headed and all the descriptive info i could remember.  i have no idea if they were able to find him - i highly doubt it.  maybe it wasn't even worth their time to try.  

this is what i do know - that experience left me rattled and i had lots to process afterwards.  i can understand a drug habit.  i really can.  i personally don't think i will ever struggle with that particular addiction but i do have addictions to coffee, sugar, and in earlier life i used lying to get me through emotionally difficult times.  so, on some level, i get it. 

BUT. 

how absolutely idiotic does someone have to be to smoke meth while operating a motor vehicle?

it's hard for me to answer that question.  just as it was hard to answer harrison's many questions after i hung up with the 911 dispatcher.  i did my best, which is all i can do in any situation.

my only hope is that my boy's curiosities about life's tougher subjects continue to be satisfied in a way that maintains their innocence (not ignorance) and optimism for a long, long time. 

oh man. 

i think i'd rather go back to talking about winkys.