Late to the party

I'm discovering marijuana. I have no idea what I'm doing and so am sharing what I learn because I can't be the only ageing babe who skipped the experimentation in my 20s. I was a "good girl" in those days and whipped cream was my prime vice. I felt morally superior and was probably more tightly wound than my friends let on.

I discovered wine in my 30s. I loved exploring the new tastes, adding to cooking and savouring the feel of a cup in my hand while watching a late night movie with friends.

In my 40s, it was sports. For the first time, I enjoyed moving my body for the sheer pleasure of stretching my muscles in a run, yoga, a hike, a canoe trip. I tried kayaking and tree climbing and put my ice skates back on after 2 decades.

Then menopause arrived. My body still loves to run and my tastebuds still leap up seeking new flavours. I am a bit more fearless in trying new things and less concerned with what others think. I'm also more aware of every ache and the funny noises I make getting out of the car after a long drive.

I suddenly found myself with a whole regimen of vitamins, pills for migraines, pills for anxiety, pills to sleep, pills for aches, pills for digestive issues and a few more pills left over from various necessary medical procedures (mine and those who have lived here over the years). If I was less principled maybe I might have found a better way to build out my retirement fund...

And then I herniated 3 discs in my back - one in the lower, one in the middle and one in my neck. And then my son suggested that perhaps some medical marijuana might be better than pills. I scoffed. I protested. I ached and I shuffled.

It would be another year till I took my first hit.