So Sad

Leaving WalMart just a bit ago, I noticed what seemed to be a young man walking to his car. It's just that he was toothless and looked about a rough 60 years old. I assess he is/was on the meth. Some months ago, I noticed this tiny woman with black stringy hair pulled up into a ponytail shopping in Safeway. A little girl walked up to her calling her mom. She turned, and I swear she looked old enough to be this girl's grandmother. My heart broke. I don't like addicts being referred to as 'tweekers' or 'meth heads.' One of my best friends from high school was addicted to meth. I never knew this until her funeral. She had been clean for one month before she hit a tree driving in the fog and was ejected through the windshield of her truck. There were stories of how she struggled to climb out of her addiction. I hadn't spoken to her for probably close to 10 years. I had always meant to call, but I never did. Now she's gone. Who knows if we would have gotten along had I reconnected with her. I still wish I had, though. She is what has made this horrible drug a personal issue for me. She is what personifies those 'tweekers' and makes them human to me. They're stuck in this hell and they either don't know how, or don't want to get out. It's just so very, very sad to me.