pleasure

07/07/2022 0 By BuddyCushman

My Massachusetts friend Bob is in town. I picked him up at his motel last night and drove over the peninsula and down into Ocean Beach, searching and searching for a parking space, eventually finding one just east of Ebers, Bob out of the car to guide me with my piss-poor parking skills. Then we made our way through a Newport Ave street fair and down into Hodad’s – no line, crazy unbelievable. And an empty dinner-time booth – more magic.

I ordered what I always order at Hodad’s – a cheeseburger with mustard, tomato, and lettuce, and a chocolate shake. I told Bob, before the waitress showed up, sometimes the shakes have lots of ice cream and sometimes not so much – whimsy. And that they are made by the person taking the order. So when this young woman arrived I asked if she’d put lots of ice cream in – I’d never thought of asking before. And when she brought the shake back to our table a couple of minutes later, there was a mountain-high pile of ice cream up above the metal container.

I mostly gave up sugar about four years ago, pretty sure I told Bob my last sugar was back in January, though writing this now I do remember I did buy ice cream for the grandkids and the daughter-in-law and myself three weeks back in Columbia, Missouri. Anyway, like the title says, my sugary-insane shake was pleasure.

Later on, on the drive back to his motel, I told Bob about the Zen idea that when you practice, practice, practice, and you give yourself over to the moment, the background steps forward. Now, the chocolate shake was not that, nor the no-line, nor the empty booth. Those fall within the realm of kindness. But when we were down by the beach, after dinner, I told Bob about this street kid I’d met named Shanti, how I’d asked him to teach me guitar, which never happened, and I said he’s usually down here by the water selling stuff. He wasn’t there last night, but when Bob and I were coming off the OB pier and walking past the Template coffee shop – where I read poetry from the open mic – I said let’s check it out. And we walk in, there’s a band playing psychedelically, and who’s standing right over there but Shanti, who we go to say hi to and to whom I introduce Bob.