I am going out of town to the racetrack for a day. I won't be around for a bit.

This really should be titled: "How Alan Ginsberg cured my vision"

When I first came to Esalen, before I worked there ( and for a few years on) the baths were open to the public. John Murphy's lease with Esalen (Denny and Mike's father) required the baths to stay open. Eventually a means of keeping them "open" by invitation for a short period at night was reached. In the meantime, the baths were open, and anyone could come down, pay a few bucks, and take a bath. The old regulars included Charlie Tuesday, an old gay man from Monterey who came down every Tuesday, though the gay clientele at the baths had pretty much disappeared by 1965, prior it had been a popular hangout.

Anyway, I was with Jerry Paulsen and on my way down to the baths. Jerry was working as night watchman that night, a job that basically required an hourly presence to nip in the bud any really rowdy behavior. Allen Ginsberg had showed up, with his lover Peter Orlovsky, and Peter's catatonic brother, Julius. Jerry told me that we were going down to the baths and that Ginsberg would be there, so don't get freaked out because Ginsberg was a "homo". Homosexuality was not in issue with me, so I went on down.

Prior to the new baths, the old baths had a men's and women's side, with large plunges and small tubs. Though at night the distinction was not kept. We were on the men's side, I was in the tub with Alan and Peter. Not much was going on, some desultory conversation.

Julius was jittery, and Peter said:" Julius, Sit Down!" Julius sat on a massage table. My clothes were on the table, I was not yet aware of the nuances of hanging clothes up. In my shirt pocket were my black framed "dork" glasses, which I had worn since age 13 or 14 for nearsightedness. Julius sat on them and broke them, a fact I discovered when I dried off and left.

As I was young and broke, I just threw them away and stopped wearing glasses, for the next 30 some years. I have only recently started to wear them again, mostly for night driving and prescription sunglasses. Somehow my eyes adapted and I passed my driving test and worked without them for decades.

So thanks to Julius, Peter and Alan.  Holistic healing at its fines.