The Magic Tree Talks Back

                                                      The Magic Tree Talks Back

   OK - so this seems a bit silly, but, let me tell you - this is how it happens kiddo.

It was just a thought. "What if there were such a thing as a Magic Tree?" After all, there are

 fruit trees, acorn trees, maple sugar trees...Each tree has a different kind of product. I read 

a lot about medicines when I studied chemistry. Most of our actual medicines come from 

plants. Many cultures used plants to help them cure ills or heal injuries. You'd breathe the 

vapors of some plant that was burning and you'd stop sneezing or coughing. I used to think 

that smoking tobacco came from these types of cures. Then they started blaming tobacco 

for everything that was bad - probably wanted to sell their pills and didn't want any 

competition. Smoking tobacco is relaxing - it calms your nerves. They used to supply 

cigarettes with K - rations in the Army.  Not any more. They show pictures of people without 

throats on TV and tell you how bad it is. I never saw a picture of a person so messed up in 

the face and throat in my life - but there they are on TV. Glad I know about that. I wonder 

what the people look like that take their pills. Look - no one ever said that tobacco is good 

for your health, but I wonder. I can remember what a premium there was on good fresh 

American tobacco when I was over in the Middle East. You couldn't even get it - just really 

cheap - really bad Turkish junk - Egyptian tobacco - ugh - horrible. Today, tobacco is 

practically illegal. Marijuana is good for your health - it cures things - see? Come on. 

What?? 

   I was just thinking about these things - just tossing these ideas around in my mind when 

the Magic Tree spoke to me. No, I wasn't smoking anything at all...It said - "smoking  

tobacco is really rough on the lungs you know"  I looked around and thought "what?" 

"Yeah, it continued, there are all kinds of really great smelling flowers and plants - oils, you 

know - like pine - fruit trees - citrus - all kinds of stuff that actually cure ills by supplying 

missing materials to your body!! They also are continually checking up on your health. 

that's one of the things we do!!" And I swear he was looking at me...