Eddy, Rich, And Other Keaau Beach Anomalies

Feb. 12 ‘73

It's been a good two days; no hassles and I met lots of people.
I especially got close to the loud and boisterous Eddy who, with his
bearded friend Rich, I met at Keaau. I had seen them before on the
highway, but had never talked with them. Rich had a communication
problem. Whenever he opened his mouth, sarcasm spilled out. Eddy told
me he was born that way. Eddy, like me, always carried reading
material around with him. He only carried one book, though. It was
the complete works of William Shakespeare. It was so big and heavy it
wouldn't fit into his backpack. He kept it wrapped in a garbage bag
and held it in his free arm. He cut a unique image, long blond hair
hanging to his butt, clutching a huge book, hitchhiking down the
highway. One night we got drunk together. After that, the boys from
Olympia made me a lifelong brother. I never knew what those guys were
going to do or say. They were a laugh a minute.

Also, I finally figured out how to camp legally in Hawaii. You
had to get a “permission slip" at the Honolulu courthouse. With a
permit, the park personnel wouldn’t hassle you. As soon as I drank my
coffee and packed my gear, I was off to the city to get my camp permit.

I want to mention, as an aside at least, that living on the beach has
made me more aware of the impact that empathy has on me. If people
around me are happy, I am happy. If people around me are not happy, I
feel their anxieties and discontent. This is not new. I have been
aware of my ability to empathize for quite some time. What bothers me
now is that I am not sure if I can be happy around people who are not
happy also. In other words, I don't know if my happiness depends on
the happiness of others or not. Maybe it does, and if that is the
case, I am definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time! In Hawaii,
I, and other beach transients like me, are barely tolerated. If I could
turn into money all the sneers, rude looks, and harassment e.g., the gas station lady,
I would already be a rich man! It seems I have so much to look forward too.