Am I Deserving

There is no way to excuse my sheer pleasure and enjoyment of life considering all the misery and starvation, war and despoliation globally, and national/regional economic and personal depression.

Perhaps I am in some sort of anomylous cyst that has somehow enclosed itself off from the toxicity of modern life. But if I was, how would I know about it?

Hopefully I am being given authority of this particular cyst, which is of my own invention, in order to preserve if not to perpetuate a lifestyle of wonder and sensual satisfaction, just to show the world that it exists, and could exist for many, if we were to limit our population to a sustainable level, and just avail ourselves of the simple enjoyments of the natural world while taking into reverence the limits of said world.

Would this all evaporate if the fossil-fuel-dependant vehicle of transportation that LM uses to transport us to Lake Travis ran dry of that black dinosaur-blood? Surely that blood will slow to a trickle before humans wean themselves from it.

In the meantime we say our prayers of gratitude, and make those deals with divinity in hopes that we have the ante. We go to Lake Travis, and LM sets sail on his windboard and I spin my hoops in ever more challenging cycles.

Sometimes we grill dinner out there. I have only recently come of age as a Texan with the grilling thing, but I think it could all be part of the sheer pleasure in life that we may all equilibrate to after the petroleum addiction is shaken. Is that so bad?

One day all these ingredients may no longer be available. This recipe for pleasure may go into my cyst, just for reference.

Free-swimming salmon. It really makes a difference, in taste as well as ecology and karma. Thaw it while you make this sauce:

Saute about 1/4 cup each chopped celery, red bell pepper, and onion in about 2 tbsp of butter. When the onions and celery are soft and near carmelized, add a few heaping tsp of capers. Add more butter if necessary, then 1/2 tsp of good Hungarian paprika, then the juice of 1/2 a lime and 1/2 an orange. Simmer til its all just a little thinner than pickle relish.

Grill or broil the salmon. Don't overcook it. After the first turn, spread the sauce all over it in a thick layer and cook just a minute  on the second side with the sauce on top.

We ate this on brown cardboard because we forgot to bring plates, with one spoon because we forgot to bring forks. Just as we were finishing, comparing the color of the beautiful salmon to the clouds of the sunset, we got the first notice from the parks employees to clear out. Park closed, time to go home.

I really hope I deserve this, because I hope I am not the sort of person who would take out high-interest loans from the Karma Bank.