Chicken Nachos never taste as good as you remember or live in the present

 

By Royal Hopper

 

It winter early 2018 and wind is blowing through the desert town like an angry spirit looking for a place to vent its winter angst on unsuspecting visitors. Its not really cold this is the desert but the wind is blowing into your face is dry and biting.
You and your significant other of nearly 24 years are tired and hungry proving the axiom that vacations and week end get aways are sometimes more exhausting than work can possibly be.
The idea was to walk down to the steak house at the end of the boulevard and treat yourself to a monthly dose of red meat and baked potatoes. Your mind is excited but your middle aged body has other ideas. Your memory screams steak….steak ….steak but your body says F that lets go to the closest place and eat whatever..

 

Just another half mile screams memory and you get a great once in a blue moon steak…..

Unable and unwilling to walk further despite the ambition that memories of youth scream at you disappears as with that unspoken agreement that only out of being together for a long time kicks in and you turn to the Belle ….and walk into the sports bar there to eat whatever they have…There is conversation because it is polite and you love each other but there is an unspoken sigh as you order Chicken nachos..
Surprise they are perfect ..tasty ..perfectly made crunchy and mouth watering …
The day is suddenly good as you share the perfect chicken nachos with your beloved …the world disappears for a moment and for a moment it is just you and her and your waitress. You finish your meal and walk away from the restaurant holding hands with a smile on your face and a memory that makes you want to go back….
Flash forward months later ..It is summer unspeakably hot like a giant blow dryer was built by space aliens turned invisible and placed over the city you visit just to make you hot and miserable.
Your middle aged common sense is telling you to turn around and just go eat at the Cafe in your hotel but the memory of the perfect chicken nachos an dholding hands with your beloved as the PA playes music popular when you were young drives you on ..You must have those perfect Nachos ……you must …
You push yourself to keep walking ..step by step toward your destination ,,,which you tell yourself is restaurant with great Nachos but is in fact ..a memory ..that’s what you are chasing a memory ….

You walk carefully into the colorfully named Colorado Belle across the casino and to the bar where the worlds best chicken nachos are served and then to the table in the colorfully themed casino full of anticipation and nervous excitement….This is something you have been waiting for weeks …months really ..and of course you order the perfect chicken…and then to your horror ..THEY ARE OKAY..not perfect…not …even great ..just okay ..tasty enough for bar food ..

Your disapointed and the memory is tarnished a bit ,,,,but you still end up leaving the bar hand in hand with your beloved ..sometimes today is better than a memory..not often but sometimes…Will you go back ..probably when the memory tarnished by the second chicken trip has faded and the memory of the perfect chicken nachos has reasserted itself.
The moral of the story is that nothing is ever as good as you remember even if it is it and it never will be…every moment is unique …Let the memories be memories and live in the right now because that is all there really is …
It is dangerous to live for memories or to expect them to suddenly expect them to be real or happening again because it it will never happen exactly the way you remember…
Love You Sinners
Royal