Happiness at 3:00 AM

[Guest guest]

One of Santa Cruz's better-kept secrets is Benton Baki, home of what

is said to be some of the best Sushi on the planet.

Bob was taken there for dinner tonight by an old friend, who sent

him home with a very pricey plate of goodies for me.

I was exhausted when the Sushi arrived, so I tucked it in the fridge

to chill and went to bed. I woke up two hours later with a good bit

of pain, and decided to try the Wasabe cure.

If it had been any other Sushi I might have passed, but this is

Benton's. The fish was still fresh enough to have that `clean' taste

that makes my tummy all hushed and awed as it goes down. I mixed up

some of the magic green horseradish and soy sauce and dug into

delicate slices of salmon, Ahi Tuna, Mackerel…ahhhhh.

Of course, now I want some warm Sake.

Is it raining outside, or am I hearing the salmon roe popping in my

mouth? Oh, oh, it's both…a touch of mist comes through the skylight

window, scented with rain, and all is right in the world.

A meal this expertly prepared is like a magnet for positive energy.

I am convinced the light rain on my roof is signaling heaven's

approval of my feast. Better even then Sake. Well, alright, I'm

taking a bit of poetic license. Sake would still be nice.

Someday I'll be better and I will have to go in person to Benton's

and thank them for preparing these delights.

When I woke up, I saw that Bob had left his newly sorted gem

collection by my bed. It is an astonishing rainbow of sparkling

hues. He's sorted the gems by both color and type, and divided them

into these little clear, round containers, which sit in a tray that

reminds me of a box of expensive chocolates.

When Bob showed me how he'd arranged the gems earlier this evening,

I was delighted like a little kid. It was fun to ooh and aah over

them, and watch his smile grow.

This man has been so kind to me, in so many ways. I don't feel I

deserve it, which sometimes makes me a little slow to take it in. If

love can save us, I am saved.

[Guest guest]

Ah, ......I lost myself in your words for a bit, such eloquent

style with which you describe even the simpliest of life's joys -

eating. And of course I could almost sense all that you were

experiencing , the rain. the early morning hours.

It is this kind of sharing that I miss the most, the simpliest that

often comes when we least expect it.Meeting someone unexpectedly,a

passerby,someone we didn't even realize had deep feelings will

surprise us with unexpected prose. And we smile.

It is much like the words shared here. The ones mixed in between our

experiences and the technical aspects of our life. The sharing of our

spirit. I often am reminded that in our physical world we often judge

other even though meaning not to,choose our friends by the sameness

with which we share familar lifestyles. But here we often don't know

much about each other, except for our willingness to share of

ourselves. The best part.

Thank you , you made me smile today. (tomorrow I go to hospital

so i wasn't in smiling mood. I needed it)

Peg