Myth Five: The Lollipop People
…One morning before work, as I listened to music and pondered the idea of using psychoactive drugs, I unexpectedly prayed out loud to God—a practice I had abandoned. "I believe these drugs could help me, but I don't know how to acquire them safely. Would you help me?" I vocalized. The prayer seemed absurd, directed at a deity whose existence I was increasingly questioning. A self-aware chuckle escaped me as I thought, "You've reached a new level of delusion when you start asking your God for drugs."
That very day, I found myself at one of my restaurants in Red Bluff, CA, to oversee the installation of new digital boards. As I sat at a large communal table evaluating the boards, a man beside me commented, "I don't like your new boards." Curious, I asked, "Oh, why's that?" While he provided insightful feedback on the boards, a persistent internal voice told me, "This man has the LSD you asked for." The notion of inquiring about drugs from a patron in my own restaurant seemed preposterous. Yet, the internal voice returned, admonishing, "Don't ask for things if you lack the faith that I will provide them." The idea of asking a stranger in my restaurant for LSD, especially with my employees around, was, without question, unthinkable.
As I grappled with the internal voice, my manager, Jeff, appeared, handing the man his take-out order. The man bid farewell and exited. Jeff remarked, “You’ve met Tony (name changed). He's one of our most loyal customers and a known drug dealer in the area. Good guy, though."
The coincidence was staggering. I bolted for the back parking lot, catching Tony as he reversed his car. Knocking on his passenger-side window, I blurted out, "Hey, would you happen to have some LSD you could sell me?" Astonished, he replied, "Aren't you a church guy? Didn't expect this question from you. But sure, I can hook you up." He then opened his glove compartment, extracted an envelope, and snipped off a large strip of LSD. "Be careful with this; it's strong," he warned, handing it to me without charge. "I appreciate what you do for the community." Holding the LSD, I apprehensively requested, "I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us, especially from my employees." Tony nodded, replying, "Come on, we're both professionals," before rolling up the window and driving away…