Cactus Taqueria

Everyone seems to have a favorite neighborhood Mexican food restaurant. Judging from the long lines at the cashier, Cactus Taqueria is a popular favorite. With a blend of typical Mexican dishes like burritos, nachos, and tacos mixed with a variety of specialty dishes, Cactus Taqueria seems to offer something for all the individual eaters in our family. My all-time favorite is the order of crispy shrimp tacos. When I’ve experienced a particularly challenging day, I think about the crispy shrimp tacos. The traditional “comfort foods” such as chicken noodle soup, warm stew, or mom’s apple pie reassure some but the Cactus Taqueria crispy shrimp tacos give me the comfort I need at my neediest times. My friends know it. My family knows it. When I grouse about a bad day and swear at the empty refrigerator again, it’s time to get some crispy shrimp tacos. Life is pretty good again as soon as I take the first bite.

At the time, the impending crossroad in our life was slowly emerging. My husband’s long commute - college choices for our youngest daughter – and a job that had its own challenges - all seemed to be pointing to a new direction in our lives. The unspoken fear of the empty nester syndrome and the tension of two tired professionals negotiating through modern parenthood contributed to uncertain times. Those romantic days of gazing into each other’s eyes seem to be faded memories. Life had become complicated and the college sweethearts needed to face a new world of demands.

It became clear that we needed a Cactus fix. My daughter ordered her usual nachos without jalapeños and I ordered the two crispy shrimp tacos this time, as did my husband. All delicious choices and when our order number was called we brought the tray back to our table and began eating and talking as we always did. Chatter about the week’s events and highlights for upcoming plans filled the air. As the meal rounded to a close, and I had inhaled my two tacos, my husband had one more taco left on his plate. We both politely stared at the remaining tacos on his plate and the emptiness of mine. Without saying a word, I glanced up into the eyes of that college sweetheart of mine and he offered to share his last precious taco with me. He rolled his eyes and we both smiled and began sharing the last remaining taco.

Our daughter watched us intently as we nonchalantly finished the taco together and continued chatting. At the moment of the last bite, she announced, “Now I get it…it’s all about sharing the taco!”

Of course we laughed and agreed that “sharing the taco” should be the motto for good marriages, true friendships, and a life of reaching beyond ourselves and into our community and our world.