The Courage of My Convictions

We sat at a busy intersection, safely tucked within 3,500 lbs of metal and plastic, the red light keeping us captive long enough to watch the scene unfolding at the gas station nearby. 

A quick movement caught my attention. Seconds went by before I knew exactly what I was watching. A dance, violent and involuntary. A man, maybe 40 or maybe 20 and life’s just taken it’s toll out on his lanky thin body, was throwing himself here and there, doing high kicks repeatedly, boxing his arms high in the air, jumping and spinning. The medical term is punding but the street term is tweaking. Picture Frankenstein trying to break dance and you have an idea. At any rate, this was as violent tweaking as I’d ever seen; throwing his body to and fro. 

What surprised me was the couple pumping gas just feet away. The woman driver had her window down. She was calm and unaffected. The man was gassing up the car as if there was no one there. Honestly I would have been freaking out, frightened by his behavior, not knowing what he would do next. Not them! She talked to him or rather tried to. I don’t think he was able. 

My heart broke for him, meth is a harsh master, and I envied her ability to interact in such a kind, loving way. She was brave and I would have loved to have a little more of that. 

Maybe I’ll try to fake it till I make it. 



Comments

  1. Debra She Who SeeksMarch 3, 2021 at 7:24 AM

    I'd be leery of interacting too, just in case he had a weapon or something. Meth is nasty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marie SmithMarch 3, 2021 at 7:30 AM

    I would not have been able to do as the woman did. It would have scared me into inaction and I would have been out of there quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. anne marie in phillyMarch 3, 2021 at 9:18 AM

    nope nope nope, I'd GTFO if I saw a tweeker.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Margaret (Peggy or Peg too)March 3, 2021 at 9:26 AM

    I think I missed something. How do you know it was meth and not just a mentally ill person?
    I am apparently so clueless that I would have thought him harmless and would not have known it was any type of behavior from drugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LindaMarch 3, 2021 at 10:27 AM

      I don’t glorify this behavior but take a look at this. There are tell tell signs that are unique to meth.

      https://youtu.be/4-4Zx-xK0YU

      My guy was much worse than her. I am so saddened by these guys and how they are reacting.


      Delete
    2. Margaret (Peggy or Peg too)March 3, 2021 at 1:37 PM

      well that was disturbing. Why would someone video this and allow them to drive off? I'd call the police, they need help, not made fun of. I would hope I would assist in some way and not walk away but who knows until it happens. I think I liked not knowing about this. Can't unsee it now. This is meth huh?

      Delete
    3. Linda devMarch 3, 2021 at 3:30 PM


      Yes. Those videographers are despicable. Like I said I do not think they should be treated this way. They need empathy and help but I guess what I’m saying is I fall short in this area because they scare me more than anything else. Think of something that your really afraid of (ie. spiders snakes clowns) and you may know that the threat to you is negligible but the fear reaction is over the top. That’s me with these guys. Big ole fear.

      Delete
  5. JeanieMarch 3, 2021 at 10:06 AM

    I don't know what I'd do. I don't have a clue.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ColetteMarch 4, 2021 at 7:47 AM

    Incredibly sad.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BillMarch 5, 2021 at 9:40 AM

    I would want to leave asap. You never know if the person has a gun, knife or anything crazy. People get upset talking about anything these days. That is a sad way to think but you read stories about bad situations. Then add drugs, it's just not a nice place to be.
    Enjoy your weekend, Linda.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

What do you have to say about that?

Popular posts from this blog

A Journey To Home

Image
My tender hearted girl decided she wanted to foster an old lady. Selkie is 14, is nearly deaf and nearly blind, has a hard time walking and uses her bark to get her needs met.  She got her home, took her for a bath and then basically loved this old girl for three weeks until the property manager decided that it wasn’t a good match (barking too much AND because she is a pit bull).  My girl knew it was probably temporary but she gave that dog a comfortable loving home, away from the chaos of the shelter, for a short time.  Ideally, she would have walked her home but that’s not how it worked this time.  Last night she stood and ugly cried on a strangers shoulder after giving her back.  I love that girl and her sweet heart.  I wish Selkie a new final home full of love. 
Read more

Private Eye

Image
We pass by the house frequently since it sits on a busy thoroughfare. We know to look every time we pass and guess what will we see. Will it be the two Dalmatians, sitting on the couch that backs up to the giant panel window, waiting for their human to come home? Or will it be their human, sitting slightly to the right of middle (allowing for a better view of the giant mounted tv across the room) of the said couch. They are never there at the same time. It’s one or the other. One sleepless night, when my body was willing but my brain was not, I did a little sleuthing. It’s amazing what you can find out about a complete stranger.   His name is Gary and, from what I can tell, he’s never been married. He has worked his way up in a air duct company. He’s now the senior VP but it’s a small company and he still goes out on jobs, judging from  the reviews on Yelp. I know he has two siblings and that their father passed away in 2018. His memorial was held in a Buddhist temple and Gary...
Read more

Go!

Image
 Vai. E, se der medo, vai con medo mesmo. When one is raised in an angry family, it’s not enough to say I don’t want to be angry. You must learn how to do it differently. That’s no easy task. If judgment and self hatred became a way of life, a new way to live has to be taught. There are many ways to do it. Reading, writing, sharing, practicing all help the change. Counseling, psychoanalysis, religion, meditation, gratitude, have the ability to transform but I needed to see it in action, it needed to be more tangible, visual, accessible. I needed to understand the possibilities. There is a YouTube channel that I watch over and over again in order to absorb how to live more fully, more open and from the heart. One of the first episodes that I stumbled on is this…. The channel is Reflections of Life and through it we get to meet people who are doing life a little differently, often more soul based. People who are living life, healing wounds and finding what is truly important.  I...
Read more