Life is full of characters. But maybe some of the best are those that enjoy the richness of every moment, make the daily routines of life fun, and can find humor in so many things. I’m talking about those people that have such an interesting outlook on life and can take any situation and find the humor in it. That is our Eddie. Eddie is 77 years young and brings a lot of life (and laughter) to us every day he is here.

My favorite Eddie story goes back to his childhood. The year was 1955. His mom loaded him and his six brothers (Eddie is the oldest) and drove out into the desert. The kids had no clue. They finally came to a stop and way off in the distance was a carnival-like affair. They walked and walked and walked. When they finally got to this ‘fair,’ who was there to greet them other than Walt Disney himself.

It took 50 years for that to really sink in; to realize what a stupendous day that really was. In a way, this was but one of a long series of unusual events that have made up Eddie’s life. Eddie spent a lifetime in the moving business in Los Angelas. He did very well and turned the business over to his sons when he was 50. He was done. It was a family business, so he started young. A natural follow-up question would be what came next when he retired. “N-O-T-H-I-N-G.” It is hard to capture Eddie in words because of the influence on certain words and phrases. It depends on his mood and what he is talking about. In 2020, right at the start of Covid, he and his wife packed up and headed for the midlands of South Carolina where his wife’s sister lived. After living here for four years, the midlands still blows his mind; the traffic (we don’t have any compared to LA), crazy drivers, all the rain, and he is still not use to thunderstorms.

They scare him. He enjoys hearing ‘bless you’ many times a day instead of getting the finger! Apparently, the finger is the MO of communication in LA. LA is an extremely competitive city and people spend so much time in their cars that face-to-face communication is not as important there as it is to those of us here.

But Eddie did love many things about LA. He always had nice cars and driving his convertibles to Malibu and on the Pacific Coast Highway was one of his favorite things to do on Sunday mornings. Eddie made it in the movie business by moving wealthy celebrities. It was exciting – Eddie was in the circle with talent agencies, directors, writers, and actors. His company became known as the “Movers to the Stars.” One day he stopped to help some movers from NY and the guy asked, “how did you know we needed help”? Eddie responded, “I’m in the business, I could see that you needed help.” When the guy asked who Eddie worked for and Eddie told him, they guy said, “I’ve heard of you guys before.” “We know about you in NY.” At the time they were shipping a lot of stuff to Miami and NY. Eddie and his sons knew how to handle expensive furniture. Some of the people Eddie moved included Zsa Zsa Gobor, Eddie Albert, George Hamilton, Meryl Streep, Sylvester Stallone, Warren Beatty, and many more.

When Eddie first met Warren Beatty he said, “hey I know you. You’re Dick Tracy. Sorry, don’t know your real name.” Eddie started collecting photos and over the years he had created a vast collection. He even had a tiny role in the movie Star Wars, as a Storm Trooper. Twenty-five years later he actually moved Carrie Fisher. Her agent sent him over to her house to do an estimate and when he went over, he saw Carrie and greeted her as “Princess Leia.” Her response, “who the hell are you?” Not a good start but she came to trust Eddie and they became great friends over the years.

James Caan was his favorite. First thing Eddie told him when they met was how saddened he was by his death in the Godfather movie. It hurt him. Eddie acted as though it was personal. Caan was taken back by Eddie’s sincerity. They hit it off and became great friends – met his son who is also a movie star today. Really cool guy.

Eddie says he’s really not sure how he got here but he knows he was meant to be here. He is fascinated by the human mind and how it works. His philosophy is simple but evades most people. “Everybody wants to be somewhere else, but you have to be happy where you are right now. It is called acceptance.” He met a man one time that told him something that he has never forgotten. The guy had lost an arm in Vietnam. He Told Eddie that the one thing he had to practice every day when he woke up was ‘acceptance.’ No matter what happened, he had to learn to accept the fact that he would be missing a limb the rest of his life. Eddie believes that no matter where you are in life, the NOW is the most important thing, the present moment. When you can learn to accept your circumstances, both good and bad, you will find joy. It is when you learn how to be happy in the moment that you begin to enjoy life. He constantly reminds himself, “Jesus, you are the vine, and I am the branch so what do you want me to do”? When he stays alert to that message, whether at work, or walking, or at a restaurant, “things just unfold.”

He feels a sense of peace today that he didn’t know when he was younger. “You can have all the dreams you want but stay in the NOW.” One of our younger colleagues here asked him what his magic was, how he had persevered through everything in life. Eddie’s response – “Put your nose to the ground and work until you die.” He says that with a hearty laugh.

 
 

There is an order to everything in the Universe and we are part of it. He honestly believes that he is here working with us by providence. Eddie loves being here at Affordable Medical Equipment– he has learned so much working here; it has opened his eyes to so much about the aging process, and people. It’s funny – as much as he ‘hates working’ three days a week, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Eddie says coming to work is his physical therapy, social therapy, and he has a fun time doing it. Eddie is and always has been an avid walker. He walks five miles per day.

 
 

Eddie loves Chris and Brandon like sons, and he treats them like his sons. He gives them what he didn’t give his sons – communication. Eddie grew up in a ‘working’ home. Some of you will know what that means. So that is how he raised his kids – the moving and transfer business was a family business. Everybody played a part. It was tough. He walked away at 50 and gave it to his sons.

 
 

Eddie likes the way we treat people. He treated his mother like an angel, and he sees that same quality in the way we treat our customers. Eddie tells it like it is. He does not sugarcoat or mix his messages. We had a young fella that worked here for a short while. He was inconsistent and undependable. One day Eddie told the kid that he had better ‘smell the coffee’ and start acting like a responsible adult. If you know Eddie, you know it was much more ‘colorful’ and creative than that, but it had its’ necessary effect. We never saw the guy again. Far more important though – hopefully, the young man heard a message he had never heard before and it got him moving forward towards being an adult.

Columbia fits his and his wife’s lifestyle today – they love it here and have no plans to go anywhere else. So next time you are at the store on a Monday, Wednesday, or a Friday, ask to see Eddie. He is here and always available to chat. Bring your sense of humor and don’t be in a rush – once you wind the Eddie up,… it can take while for him to wind back down.

Have a blessed day!