For Medicinal Purposes Only

I recently heard on a talk radio program a discussion of a problem that society soon will be facing for the first time – seniors on drugs. This is because of the rapid influx of baby boomers becoming senior citizens. The program referenced illicit drugs as well as prescription drugs. The potheads of the ‘60’s have now turned to the hard stuff, and many other seniors are abusing high-powered pain killers.

The baby boomers were young adults in the 1960’s. This was the decade of protests, flower children, drugs, women’s lib, the sexual revolution, and peace symbols. Although I was the right age to participate in all this, I never had the time or interest. While the hippies in the East were at rock concerts at Woodstock and the hippies in the West were hanging out in Haight-Ashbury, I was in college or teaching in the Midwest. Residing in a dorm at a Catholic girls’ college in St. Louis and later teaching at a conservative high school in Southern Illinois were not conducive to a radical lifestyle. Almost 45 years later, I regret what I missed. I was (and am) very familiar with the taste of beer, but I never smoked pot or knew anyone who did. I certainly don’t want to be a burden to society because of drugs, but my prescriptions for thyroid and cholesterol don’t exactly raise my spirits. It would be a real trip, just once, to experience a true “Rocky Mountain High” rather than just listening to John Denver sing about it! One is never too old, and it’s never too late. Maybe it’s time to get the old gang together for one last Hurrah. I’ll have to put this on my “To Do” list for the future.