SUMMER WITH THE SLUG RATS

“You’re killing me ‘alls’.”

Later that night I was in the locker room at the gym listening to an ‘alls.’ Alls think they have simple solutions to serious problems.  During the Cold War a guy who worked with my dad used to say, ‘Alls you gotta do is nuke some Russian island. They’ll back down.” He didn’t see starting WWIII as an issue.

Alls had bad advice for every situation. Troubled marriage? “Alls you gotta do is let her know who’s boss.” Not enough retirement savings?  “Alls you gotta do is buy enough scratch-off tickets.”

Over the years I’d seen too many people take the advice of ‘alls’ and reactivate their addictions:

·         “Alls you gotta do is stick to beer.’

·         “Alls you gotta do is stick to the pills from a doctor.”

·         “Alls you gotta do is stick to weed.”

·         “Alls you gotta do is eat one big brownie and call it a night.”

·         “Alls you gotta do is pay for it now and then.”

·         “Alls you gotta do is only gamble with friends.”

As I walked out of the locker room, I thought, ‘Problems that affect your whole life take whole life solutions. The ‘alls’ will kill you.’

Today I’ll avoid the alls.

Summer with the Slug Rats © 2020 by Ken Montrose

Summer with the Slug Rats is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/