Working at a hotel, I love that I am always a potential step away from meeting someone really interesting. Tonight, I met a family from Crossville who was traveling back to Hawaii the following morning.
Looking at their car bumper, I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Eddie Would Go." Being a Nashvillian, my first thought was, "Yes, Eddie George did go...to the Dallas Cowboys." Of course, I knew that the meaning behind the sticker must be something entirely different. And so I asked one of the family members about it. The wife and mother told me that it was in reference to Eddie Aikau, a famous Hawaiian who seemingly came out of nowhere, to become one of the most respected surfers in the area.
What brought on the phrase of the bumper sticker was the story of when he and some other surfers attempted to recreate a famous voyage. It is a successful voyage, but they try it again and meet with dangerous weather. Eddie volunteers to swim the 12 miles to save his friends and...well, I'll leave it to you to check out/buy the book or just do some web research on Eddie Aikau. I'll be picking up the book at my local library soon.
I love that I met such a positive and friendly family tonight. I really felt a part of their family as they were telling me the story. I wish them well.
2 comments:
Eddie was more than a great surfer;
he was a true hero. what he did for his friends on that voyage was nothing short of legendary and was
certainly courageous. he had always been called "Eddie would go"
because of his love of surfing; he
was definitely a unique individual.
how cool!
peace...
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