Sitting in the Conference Room, I was waiting on John Tatum to walk in. He did and said, "You look like a Beach Bum."
I suppose that I did. Faded blue jeans, a Surf Sex Tee Shirt, flip flops and much longer hair than the last time he'd seen me. He looked like a damper attorney ... which he is.
We spoke for an hour as I was in need of processing things that'd left me unsettled. He was gracious enough to listen without charging me as he chimed in his recollections and thoughts.
"You know Micheal," he finally concluded, "I read this book about Holocaust survivors. The ones who did the best are the ones came to a point of forgiveness. There are some people that you have to forgive."
Forgive Nazis?
That's what I remember thinking. I believe that I said as much though I don't really remember. The next day one of the aforementioned Nazis called to say that he had no interest whatsoever in meeting with me ... unless I could help him.
This happened well over a year ago.
Since then, my hair's much longer. My tan is deeper. I can count the times I've had shoes on with my fingers and toes. I've married my love. Goddess has gotten older. I've been everywhere and I've been nowhere. Mostly, I've settled into being a Beach Bum.
It's harder work than you think.
You have to throw away the way you were raised. Work until you retire and then enjoy life while you can until you die was the way I was raised. I worked hard to modify this because a Beach Bum's work ethic is different. Work just enough to get by while enjoying yourself and the world around you is how I describe it. This flies in the face of conventionality which is why so few people actually do it. Most work until they retire and then retire until they die.
You have to understand that living on faith is the foundation of a Beach Bum's existence. I believe, therefore, it will come true. A lot of Churches preach this ... a lot of Christians say it ... but they don't do it. Beach Bums do it ... in the water ... in the sand ... in the bars. We live on faith. We live in faith. We have no idea how we're going to keep on living this life and we may worry about it but we keep doing it. At the end of each day that we're still here doing it, we pause and toast the Holy Ghost in joyous celebration that we have one more day to do it. Beach Bums live one day at a time.
Beach Bums forget. Most of its not worth remembering anyway. What is worth remembering makes for really good stories. I'll forgive but I will never forget is something that I've always heard. Beach Bums flip it. I'll forget but I'll never forgive ... meaning it's simpler to forget about whatever it was and move on. So the Angels and the Assholes from the past are left back there except when stories are needed.
A front has stalled over the ocean. Salt sticks to my skin on the Beloved Back Deck baptizing me ... exfoliating the dead things that cling to me. The tropical foliage is lush and green. A bird is singing a solo for an audience of one. A muted sun is just enough warmth and light. It makes me lose my train of thought.
"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let's go forth an rejoice in it."
That's what Beach Bums do.
