You can tell a lot about a neighborhood by its vehicle’s bumper stickers. In the parking lots, I noticed “Bernie 2016”, “San Juan Mountain Association”, “May the Forest Be With You”, “I’d Rather be Hiking” and “Ska Brewery” rear end adornments. There wasn’t one “NRA” sticker.
Nice!
Since all the townhomes look nearly identical, the ability to decorate is limited by the occupant’s imagination. What I saw was promising though: Tibetan Prayer Flags, heavy metal sculptures, strings of colorful lights and Happy Hour lounge chairs. But what really caught my attention was a pair of Buddhas. The Enlightened Ones were hanging out on pedestals on opposite sides of a garage door. They were sporting just had a Double IPA grins.
Well, if a neighborhood is cool with Buddhas surely it would be OK for a Liberal minded former Wandering Wondering Jew to move in. My intuition turned out to be correct. I chose well. My neighbors are kind people.
Recently I escaped Durango’s season of cold and snow. I was in Snobsdale, AZ, when a string of text messages lit up my phone. They were from my neighborhood’s message board. The catalyst was from Marcia. It read, “Hey guys, someone took an Amazon package from my door last night AND one of my Buddhas. That's just bad karma for whoever did that. Any one else have something taken?”
The text chain came fast and sometimes furious. An “All Points Buddhas Bulletin” went out. Neighbors began searching in snowbanks and the surrounding neighborhood for the missing Siddhartha. I suggested putting the local hounds on the scent of Buddha. But the pooches (a Chihuahua , a Corgi, a friendly Mutt and an Australian Shepherd) weren’t up to the task. Buddha had been fleeced for good. All my neighbors (and me) were virtually bummed.
Later that day while I was on my daily Snobsdale hike, I thought about what transpired 430 miles away. The little I knew about Buddhism was based upon Tibet and the Dalia Lama. A few months ago I read “Eat the Buddha” which was a sad account of China’s tyrannical abuse of the Tibetan Buddhists. The 14th Dalia Lama is their spiritual leader. I’ve seen him on TV. He giggles a lot! When Mr. DL wasn’t chuckling he seemed to be a Human who preached peace and good will toward all. I liked that.
So with this in mind, I pondered. What would Buddha do? Why he’d click on Amazon and purchase a replacement of himself to gift to Marcia. THAT’S what Buddha would do. Well, he’s long gone, so I was his stand in. After the deed was done, I texted this to the neighbors and mutual friends.
Hi neighbors,
From Snobsdale, I read about Marcia’s purloined Buddha. I went online and bought her this replacement. If you care to toss in a few bucks, that would be nice if not you are still invited to sign the card. As we all know Covid sucks. I thought a bit of neighborly goodness would be appreciated by Marcia.
Thx in advance,
Jeff the Cold Weenie
The response was extremely generous. Not only did we cover the price of Buddha, there was enough left over for a healthy donation to the Durango Food Bank. A win-win situation for all.
I’m no expert, but I’d say that’s Good Karma.
Last photo: Here’s Marcia’s Facebook post upon receiving Buddha. After reading this, I too was sporting a Double IPA grin. It’s fun making mitzvahs.
Cheers,
Jeff
Great story! Good on ya (and all your neighbors)!
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteLoved your post, Jeff! We once hosted a ceramic Buddha when we were first married. It is hard to believe, but it will be 40 years together in marriage this upcoming July. Buddha was one of the very few items in our apartment. In fact, our first apartment together consisted on a card table, two yellow Samsonite suit cases for seat (no wheels), stacks of books on the floor (lots of books), and a single twin bed mattress for the both of us. Yes, we were skinnier then.
Buddha made all the moves with us as we progressed through our educational steps from college to grad school to med school, etc.. We felt he added to our happiness and good fortune.
Then when we finally finished medical school, Buddha was broken in the move. Things started to go wrong--lots of little things. Hiccups with student finances, the purchase of a car (loan shark mistake), increasing unplanned debt, snafus with ou next out-of-state our move to residency position, etc. Nothing tragic, but they just kept mounting. We needed our Buddha back.
But now just the thought of the Buddha and his good influence is enough. He is still with us inside--and your kind act, along with your neighbors, is proof of that!
We second the motion. Good On Ya, Mate!
Aloha,
Scott and Melody Hayden
Hi Jeff! This is a beautiful, well-written post. It's likely I will move within the next year or so and I hope that wherever I wind up, I also will find great neighbors. I have a very small Buddha and I'll make sure to take him along. Please reassure me that the happy picture with 17 people and five dogs was taken before March or April of last year. These days, anytime I see groups of people with no face masks I reflexively get kind of nervous! -Jeff
ReplyDeleteHey, why didn't you just unbutton your shirt and stand in for the missing Buddha until it was found... WWBD. Good story.
ReplyDeleteGreat story,Jeff! Think I need a Buddha too.... I’m not so lucky with neighbors.....
ReplyDeleteI choose Buddha!! Yes, very well written. Score a big one for what Buddhist refer to as loving kindness.
ReplyDeleteWhat would Buddha do? I think exactly what he did. He, maybe a little reluctantly and saddened, gave up his position with Marcia and decided it was time to move on and grace his presence with someone who obviously needed him a little more. Hopefully he is "rubbing" off on his new owner or they are gracing him with ticklish belly rubs. By venturing off, Buddha knew he could probably inspire you and the neighbors to cheer Marcia up with a new replacement. The new laughing Buddha has already created joy, love, nurturing and food for those in need or want. Yes!!! Buddha's are definitely powerful and I can only hope that the person, who decided they absolutely needed Marcia's Buddha, is living a better, more lawful life. Wonderful blog. Thank you for sharing and always love reading about happy endings. Now, to give my little Buddha belly rubs, while repeating "Mahones, you and the Chiefs got this!"
ReplyDeleteSweet!
ReplyDelete