Meeting with Myself (aka - That hooker may stab me yet)

I'll try and throw some random pics in this post to keep your interest...but in reality it's mostly words and thoughts and hooker that wanted to fight me - I'm sure you're thinking "a hooker fight would make for a good photo/video op"...and I'm sure you're right; however that wasn't top of mind at the moment.  For the protection of the innocent and out of lack of desire to call out the guilty I have changed many of the names (but not all) in this passage.  Over the past couple weeks I've really been looking at life, and the interrelationship of long term and short term "happiness".  What does it take to achieve them? Can you have both? Or will one destroy the other?

This isn't a 'hold my beer and watch' or 'so shit there I was' story...though I was holding a drink, and if I must be honest tasting Carla's Sweet Nipples.  Sorry Jake From Statefarm..but they are sweet.  Okay before you think I'm being a horrible ass; this is a drink that Jake invented moments earlier named after his girlfriends sweet nipples (I don't know that they are sweet, but I due trust Jake wouldn't lie about his girl's nipples).  I really like typing the word nipples.

Deliciousness interlude - went to Casa Picasso with Boola (aka - Eric) - Lobster Sliders and Filet...

Lobster Slider from Casa Picasso

Filet from Casa Picasso

Let me just say that the filet was amazing...mmmm.  The Lobster Sliders - out of this world.  In the words of Eric "holy shit....for the first time in months I forgot about In-N-Out." The bun is crisp, yet butter exists in massive amounts in there somewhere. This dish truly defeats at least two laws of physics...

Here's where the heavy starts.  Didn't realize it at the time - but 6 hours later, at 4am, with a lot of rum in my blood, and loads of water in my tummy, it landed.  Really it's still landing; or at least the rippling effects and implications of the life lesson.  The truth behind the night.  The introspective odyssey was beginning, and it all started with a guy named "Raven".

So I'm drinking a Carla's Sweet Nipples when Raven walks down the bar, passing plenty of vacant stools, opting to take his place beside me.  A true 'salty dog' sailor if I've ever met one.  Shoulder length gray hair, a beard far more full and masculine than I can grow...also grayed by the years. He had about 40 years on me; most spent sailing around the Mediterranean - a few pretty crazy adventures I enjoyed hearing about - with his most recent years being spent in the mountains of Mexico.  He had spent his life jumping from adventure to adventure; and had no doubt achieved short term happiness in bunches.  You could see it on his face as he talked.

Fun times interlude - Another fun experience with the Boola.

Sunset Sailing

Happy Birthday Sunset Sailing

 It was very nice cruising around and watching the sunset on Eric's birthday.  Good Times for sure.  If you haven't experienced a Sunset cruise with us...WTF?  Realy?!  Call me...maybe.  Is that still a thing?  Still don't understand it - getting old.

After a drink and some chat he disappeared down the street...only to return a few minutes later with two 'hourly friends'.  He took his seat at the other end of the bar; gave me a nod and wave, and bought his rented sense of happiness a couple drinks (dust starts settling in the mind).  Their to go cups full of booze came; and Raven paid for the drinks.  That's when the got interesting in two ways...

You'll hear about my hooker fight in the next interlude (interesting way #1); for now let's stay with the main feature - as I gave Raven that 'see you later' wave, and that's when I saw it in his eyes.  His face smiled; but the eyes were empty.  He was headed out with short term happiness, and the eyes showed his knowledge that it wasn't leading to long term happiness.

None of this really landed till hours later, but sure enough it was there...finally, and after weeks of 1/2 thoughts it was complete (though the ripples still flow through my consciousness).  My answer is that to be short sighted and seek happiness in the short term is not necessarily a bad thing - but you do have to be prepared to accept that an inevitable consequence can very well be the loss of long term happiness.

"So Shit There I Was" interlude - Raven had paid for his drinks.

Photo completely unrelated
to the story...just needed a picture.

He was leaving with his new friend "Lazy Lizard"; and being the nice gent he is put a pretty little tip out for my pal Bartender Mo - the hardest working bar tender in all of Belize.  He earns those tips...but apparently Lazy Lizard didn't think so - she reached over and stole my friends tip.  Before my brain even knew what my mouth was going to say, "You fucking bitch" went flying from my lips and smacked her right in the face from across the bar.  She of course hit DEFON 4, black out, I'm gonna kill a guy mode.  Screaming at me and about to flying through the air and rip my face off...but luckily for me her desire to make some money over ruled her desire to kill me.  Her friend carried her off into the night; still with my friends money in her pocket.  I'd like to think I could take an 80 pound hooker in a fight...but she looks like a crafty one.

I'm not about to pretend I have all the answers.  Though I now very much understand that happiness and "good" are intertwined on both a short and long term basis.  Making decisions to satisfy short term happiness must lead to a long term good as well.  I won't talk about the specifics of why I've been pondering this - but it very much comes down to decision making.  If you choose a short term happiness you better make sure it may not negate a potential long term happiness.  Not always easy to see, or understand...but you owe it to yourself to try.  Short and long term happiness are not mutually exclusive by any means; but we have a choice in short term happinesses.  I will do my best to choose the ones that lead down the path to long term happiness.  At times that may mean sacrificing a short term happiness so it doesn't interfere - I just pray to be wise enough to recognize those times.

I doubt I'm making much sense at this point - big finish time...

I suppose Raven was just a guy visiting Belize.  Though I feel like I sat beside myself.  I came in and showed me what would be if I stopped looking at the long term.  I don't want to be an old salty dog sailor with hourly friends.  I'm gonna choose to make decisions for a long term happiness.

Kinda hoping I live long enough to find said long term happiness...but that hooker may stab me yet!