I think Eric was an old soul; obviously taken from us far too soon.
Eric had principles and integrity. He believed in things. He was a thinker and a fighter; he understood the importance of truth and valued right over wrong. He liked to debate things. He had opinions and formulated positions that he would freely share with you in the interest of education, yours and his own.
He carried himself with dignity (mostly! LOL) and took pride in everything he did: his presentation, his work, his home, his interpersonal relationships. That said, Eric was also a fun-loving, humorous and sarcastic goofball.
I’m convinced Eric was the single most important contributor to Amazon’s success over the initial years of that company’s existence. Nary a day would pass without multiple (I mean two minimum) Amazon deliveries deposited at Eric’s front door.
Eric loved plants, animals and some humans enormously (LOL!) and he nurtured and supported all with grace and selflessness. Stepping into Eric’s backyard was like being instantly transported to a tropical paradise. Strangely, as beautiful as it was, I cannot remember seeing Eric fuss with any of it and I lived there for at least a year, maybe two. Eric did have a shit-ton of friends and threw legendary parties.
Eric was a sucker for strays of all stripes. In addition to multiple cats, a noisy bird that refused to fly away even when invited, an adorable, if somewhat banished rabbit, Eric also cared for gobs of expensive fish that were irresistible to the Sandhill Cranes that would try to swoop in for a snack only to get hopelessly wrapped up in the netting Eric placed over the pond to protect the fish. I remember one morning waking up and finding Eric and Jon in the back yard trying to free a massive, terrified bird from the net trap. It was impossible and hilarious, and the bird remained intent on getting a fish throughout the ordeal. Exasperated, Eric finally cut the bird free of the net and promptly marched off to order another from Amazon.
Beyond all those critters, Eric was daddy to the sweetest dog I’ve ever met. Initially, I will confess that I was afraid of Sabrina. My mother and I had a little fluffy white dog named Sugar when I was growing up. She looked like a pom-pom with eyes. She was not exactly an intimidating presence despite her best efforts to bark her head off at any noise she heard (usually me sneaking in past curfew)! In comparison, Sabrina made me fear for my hands and face. I thought she was a pit bull or related. It didn’t take long for me to realize how ridiculous my fear of Sabrina really was as undoubtedly Sabrina was incapable of hurting another living thing (intentionally). She was, however, a little clumsy and a lot flatulent. When she and I were alone in the house, I would try to close the door to my room separating her and I from one another. Most of the time I could not lock her out for long, but on the very rare occasion I did manage to ignore her cries and whimpers through the door, she would lay right there on the other side, as close as she could possibly get to me and fall asleep. When Eric and Jon were away from home overnight, Sabrina would sleep with me. I didn’t want to fall for her, but she was irresistible.
Eric liked wine. Eric liked good wine and good food. Eric refused to drink and drive. He was an incredibly good role model in so many ways. I always looked up to him. I was a bit shocked to learn he was actually a couple of years younger than I am. I thought he was older only because he had his shit together and was responsible and mature (mostly! LOL) while I was none of these things. He had good taste. He had a shit-ton of friends, and he threw legendary parties.
Eric was beyond generous and kind. He offered me a home; actually, an escape from a bad situation, when I really, really needed it. A cat, a dog, a rabbit, a friend… if you needed a home, Eric was sure to take you in.
Real talk now, Eric could be kind of “bitchy” at times but always in the best possible way! He did not suffer bullshit easily from anyone. He never failed to call me out on mine whenever I insisted on expressing it ad nauseum, but he always did it in a gentle, humorous way. And if you called him out on his own, he’d always give you that look; head cocked a little to the side, a side-eye and that raised eyebrow and slight a smirk on his face. If you knew Eric, I’m sure you know the expression I refer to!
He grew up in New England and I spent every Christmas and some summers in Maine growing up because that’s where my mother and her family are from. I could, sometimes, hear the ah’s slip out. He’d say “pahk the kah”, and I noticed when he occasionally over-utilized the word “wicked.” I’ve never known anyone from New England that I didn’t love despite how “wicked” weird they were or how “wicked” stubborn they could be.
Eric worked hard, played hard, loved hard. I really loved him. He was a true friend to me. I’ll forever wish I’d not allowed us to drift so far apart. I know he knew how I felt about him and vice versa, but there were things I wish I had expressed to him and thanked him for and told him how much he meant to me. I think I thought there would be plenty of time for reconnections… I think we all should pay more attention to the clichés we hear in life; they are warnings! Don’t allow yourself to be another example of an oft heard cliché brought to life, yet again. So for now, I’m just going to hope to find him (and Sabrina) someday, on the other side. She’ll be whimpering and crying, wanting to crawl in my lap and when she does, she’ll let one rip and Eric will be giving me that look and proudly exclaiming, “That’s my dog!”
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