Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Rocky Mountain High....

Good February morning! I am sorry to report that I did not see much of the Super Bowl as I was immersed in a book that I could not put down. Yeah, that's me...forgoing watching the game of the year to read about the life of a World War II vet. And I really do not like history at all, but reading Hildebrand's Unbroken is so compelling that I view the greatest generation as the greatest generation. To go through what these men encountered as Japanese POWs was unparalleled in today's society. I am humbled by their strength and determination. The spirit can get a person through the toughest situations.

Anyway, when I think about what I have to do or the troubles that I encounter, I think about this book, men, and what they endured and say: "Life ain't so bad....suck it up...move on...it's a no-whining zone."

Why were the past two paragraphs so meaningful? Well, yesterday was a bit tough. Not tough in a big way but little issues mounted to the point where I wanted to open the 'box' earlier than 5ish.

Here is the breakdown. my good friend Muscles left town to go to Colorado because her 80 something year old father hit a tree skiing. He has multiple fractures and is not paralyzed. When she reported that he was raising caine and cranky, I knew that all was well.

Next, the meeting that I attended yielded more work for me as I prepare for the season opener. Yes, it's true that I am not teaching any classes for a few months, but I still have a colossal amount of work piling up faster than I can blink. This was not the plan. Nope, I was going to sleep late to 7 am, have my coffee, write the blog, exercise, walk the dog and not think of work. Now I am thinking about what has to be done in my sleep and I am not likin' it one bit.

I am thrilled to report that Muscles' dad is going to be fine and ready to go home in a few days. Yet, the biggest BPM story comes out of the mountains. Oye vey! Ready for this one?

As I sat in my meeting yesterday on campus, I received a text message (and yes, I read it)....it seems that someone has stolen my son's ADD medication which is essentially a controlled substance. He has a slight attention issue and takes medication to study and take tests, otherwise, he is not on it. The knucklehead that he is takes the vial of medication out of his backpack before practice and takes his pill. Nothing wrong here, right?

Uh, no...wrong....some of the guys saw this and wanted him to share his medication with them. Huh? Guys...this is a controlled substance! This is "speed" unless you have diagnosed ADD or ADHD. So, what the heck? Don't you have to take a random drug test during the season? If you do not have a doctor's note, then you will be banned from the sport. Just ask Carlos Ruiz!

Anyway, Buddy refused to share his medication. After all, it is medicine and he was horrified that they wanted to either take it or sell it. Are you following this one? 'cause I am having some trouble.....OK, back to the crime.

Buddy went to take his med before he left for the library and found that 20 pills were taken. Yes, that's right...20 pills. Someone had stolen his medication and left him with two pills.

Frankly, I am not surprised since I know the effects of the medication since we thought long and hard about the prescription before we allowed him to take it. He was seen by a neuropsychologist with a documented attention disorder and therefore, the doctor said it would be like him taking insulin. His brain needed it to function. OK, I get that. I am grateful that he is not on it everyday. Anyway, a thief stole the medication and my son has a meltdown.

All he can think about is getting back at the guy or guys and turning them in or making them pay. It's a guy thing. I begged him to let it rest since he cannot prove anything. His next diabolical plan was to leave the vial in his backpack with laxatives in it. He would then find the guy or guys who stole it while they were in the bathroom. I encouraged him to rethink this one. Let it die....just let it die.

Is the story over? Oh no....he called the doctor's office on campus to report the theft and ask for a new prescription. Conveniently, the doctor is out of town without anyone to cover for him, therefore the problem was punted to BP mom.

After calling his health care provider at home, I filled the prescription and sent the package overnight to his house. Hopefully, the package will make it to him and not into the hands of a team mate who will take the medication and perhaps sell it.



As the plan of action was winding down and medication was at the UPS store, I asked him to let the issue die, be more vigilant, and hide the vial. It concerns me that he was so carefree with the medication and did not respect its inherent power. I believe that he never considered how others perceive the medication and that there are people out there in society who are looking to get high any way that they can. This notion transcends sports and enters into all realms of society. There is not a full profile of a person who would steal medicine to get high. When the kids were younger, Buddy and a friend were accosted by teens who had gotten high from a Reddi-whip canister of whipped cream. That's right, these kids were huffing.

As a new parent, I commented that there was no parenting brochure and would laugh. We would get through the running away from home and coming back within 90 seconds after considering that Grandmom lived 20 miles away and he was not allowed to cross the street. Or the time when I fished a large sticker out of Tink's nose, but I really thought that high school, college, and our family conversations covered thefts and drug addiction. Maybe not....addicts will do anything and I mean anything to get their fixes. They forgo comforts, jobs, and relationships to get high. The drugs are that powerful. Last week, I was in a homeless shelter and saw the effects of drug addiction first hand. Some of the homeless residents are there in the shelter because they have snorted their savings and relationships. It's sad and a lesson to all of us. Why can't we get high on life and relationships? Pretty flowers? Helping others? Taking a walk? Being nice? A nice cup of coffee? Tea?

Ok, off my soap box and onto the pile of work that continues to grow like a sunflower in the summer. Have a great day!

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