By Mike Johnson
Me and donuts go way back.
Before age 11, they only appeared in my life by luck and happenstance.
But once I started earning paper route money, I controlled my own dough.
Lietzkes Bakery was the Fort Knox of confections.
Long johns, cinnamon rolls and creampuffs were the gold bars.
Withdrawals could be made by trading two things that bakery wanted.
A freshly-printed morning newspaper or cash money.
An 11-year-old Midas, I had both.
I happily made those trades for many years.
Later, at age 19, I managed a Mister Donut shop.
This used to be an international chain but is now long gone.
The job required learning how to bake all the products.
I’d evolved from buying the gold bars to mining and pouring the gold bars.
The owners had three locations so moved me around to fill in as relief baker.
My first visit to the Spring Lake Park shop imprinted.
It was a Sunday morning.
Just me and a counter gal I’d never met.
The overnight baker had filled the cases with product.
It was my job to refill the items that were selling out.
I remember the stress of searching for ingredients, utensils and adapting to the different equipment.
Proof boxes, with their touchy heat and humidity controls, were especially individual.
Lots of trial and error and tweaking in somebody else’s kitchen.
I finally reached calm equilibrium mixing my first batch of cake donuts.
While the big Hobart mixer spun, the DJ on WDGY radio spun Marshall Tucker’s “Heard it in a Love Song.”
The gal up front was efficiently serving customers.
I was on pace with my batter.
Nodding my head in beat with the song.
Comfortable in the strange kitchen.
All was right with the world.
The moment imprinted.
This morning, right now, my work is interrupted by nibbles on a sugar donut.
WDGY plays on my internet radio.
“Heard it in a Love Song” suddenly arrives, riding the wave of pre-dawn silence like chocolate frosting on a raised ring.
Here I am, donut in hand, suddenly launched into experiencing my donut love affair at beginning, middle and end.
Desire, anticipation, acquisition, learning and mastery.
All at once, in the same space, in the same holographic moment.
Once again, recalling the past has created a magical present.
Me and donuts go way back.
Now they've brought me full circle.
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