Rrrred Hotttt

Because Drew and Max have read it, (and Drew was quite insistent that I read it too) - I've spent the past few evenings immersed in the world of the Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Know what?
I don't even know how to process all that I've read. His dad shared a joint with him when he was 11 years old. He was at his dad's house, at the kitchen table, with his dad and his dad's 18 year old girlfriend. After they had smoked some weed, at his dad's urging, the girlfriend took off her tshirt and sat there topless. A short time later, before Anthony's 12th birthday his dad encouraged his girlfriend to have sex with Anthony ...
and from there? It just took off. A lifetime of drug abuse and sexual experiences with a neverending parade of (always) young women.

He (Anthony) (lead singer of the one of the biggest bands of the '90's) is one year younger than me.

If it takes a village to raise a child, his village was not Mennonite. His village didn't have dads married to moms. Dads who had legal jobs. Dads who parented. Dads who had any brains. He is a product of the dad who raised him; they lived in a community full of like-minded people. It was all drug, sex and rocknroll.

Seriously.
There are many, many, many people who live like this.
And really? There's nothing glamorous about it. It's tragic.

It was easy to read. In that it was like reading someone's diary. No big words. Or tricky metaphors. It was a continuous run of "and then, and then, and then, and then, and then"...)

The start of the book and the middle of the book were almost the same. Holy cow. So many drugs. So much sex. He remembers and writes about every bender and every lay. It all sounds the same after awhile. But it's so disturbing.

I had to take a break last night and get lost in something happy.
So I watched:

It was like watching it for the first time. Other than that scene in the restaurant, I couldn't remember anything about the storyline. So it was a wonderful diversion from the dysfunctional life of Anthony Kiedis.

Today's sunny afternoon pulled me outside. So I brought that book out with me and wrestled it to the last page. It ends up being a story of recovery. He finished off the book celebrating 4 years clean, being actively involved in the NA meetings in his community. You also sense that he finally grew up... If a person starts abusing drugs at age 12 - then that's about as mature as they stay.

I just checked Wikipedia. He's got a 4 year old son now. And is apparently still clean. He'll be in a documentary called Bob and the Monster later this year. (Bob is his sponsor drug counsellor) plus his group has another album coming out.

Sigh.
Some people live such hard lives. Unnecessarily.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Clint is on his way home! He's got 24 hours of travel ahead of him, and he n Dallas both picked up a bug of some sort in Egypt (stomach issues) - but he's survived his adventures. Yay.
Actually, I've been hanging onto a verse ever since he first arrived in Israel:
Isaiah 46: 3, 4 -
Listen to me, all you who are left in Israel, I created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

2. It's the long weekend. And I have no camping plans. EVERYONE goes camping this weekend, don't they? I sure used to, in my past two lives. We've had 3 sunny days in a row - a record for us... And tomorrow is supposed to be just as nice. But the forecast is for rain on Saturday and Sunday. Boo hiss. Even so, I'm hoping to fully enjoy the next 3 days.

3. I'm thankful that I'm not worried about the world ending on Saturday. Although. If I am raptured up - feel free to help yourself to my camera. I won't be needing it. :)

Shalom,