Getting Busted

Michael Burns
Columnist

The context of my shares is Lessons Learned. At least, it is lessons acknowledged and explored, since I repeat more mistakes than I correct.

I look upon my accumulation of life adventures, experiences, mistakes, mindless choices, victories, and lessons as being the curriculum of the school in which I train to become a respected elder.

Often, my subconscious “decider” chooses a seemingly stupid course of action. Then, I consciously pay the price, or reap the rewards. Upon reflection on the choices and results, I would give myself reasons and explanations for the details of the
circumstances and occurrences, so that it all fits into being meaningful and purposeful. As opposed to thinking, “well, that was
stupid, pointless, a waste of time.”

Another of my life’s “initiations” was about a year before the adventure in India I told of in Homesick. Initiations, to me, are events and experiences that give me a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of myself, and this was one.

It was 1971, age 23, and I was high on orange-sunshine LSD in a car with 4 other trippers. We were driving home from the Grateful Dead concert in Berkeley at which I officially became a Dead Head, and we were pulled over. It was on the freeway near Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The highway patrol – pigs, in those days – stopped us for a busted tail light.

While the driver was rumaging the glove compartment for his registration, a vial of roaches (pot, not insects) fell out. Voila! Grounds for them to get us out of the car for a search.

I was sitting in the back with a chunk of hashish in my shirt pocket. My subconscious decider chose not to do what my co-felonees did: stash the dope on the floor or in the seat. I had some initiating to do, lessons to learn. Of course, the hash was found. I was handcuffed and taken to spend the night in the county jail – on acid, as was the owner of the car.

At the time, I was living at my parents house and working for my Dad’s company in the warehouse. The purpose of this life initiation was to grow up and become a tad more independent. This included:
1. Living on my own
2. Finding a young woman who could fill the role of help-mate
(following the model of my parents), and
3. Finding a career

I got a room in a nice house in SF near Golden Gate Park with a friend who was studying to be a lawyer and 3 of his school mates.
#1: Done

I went to visit my sister Joyce, who was studying at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. There, I met Sally, who became the first of my 3-long term committed relationships. She passed the audition and was cast as my future help mate. To validate her taking that role, we became engaged before I left on my jaunt to India. #2? Started

The career piece was a slow process. I stayed on for Dad’s business while seeking an appealing way to make a living: Business? Forestry? Teaching? Oceanography? I made my selection then set off for the education needed in order to be hired. #3: Underway

Each initiation led me to the next, all furthering my growth into elderhood. The Getting Busted on Acid initiation got me to India for the Homesick initiation which led me home to the Marry Sally and on to the Honeymoon In Israel initiation and finally, to California bringing about the Serendipitous Near-Death Car Crash initiation.