DRUGS OF YESTERDAY WHY DIDN'T WE HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM?
The other day, someone at a store in a small town read
that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old
farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a
rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug
problem when you and I were growing up?"
I told him that I did have a drug problem when I was a
kid growing up on the farm when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no
matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my
parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card,
did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher
or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best
effort in everything that was asked of me.
was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a
profane four-letter word ( I do know what Lye soap tastes like.)
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and
flowerbeds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and
neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one,
to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some
fire wood, and if my mother had ever known that I took
a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would
have drug me back to the wood shed.
Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my
behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are
stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today's
children had this kind of drug problem, America would
be a better place today.
