The Dharma Bums-quote response

Page 150:
*"I sit and smoke a pipe and drink tea and hear the wind beat the slender eucalyptus limbs like whips and the cypress windrow roars."
-- This is in a letter Japhy wrote to Smith on his way over. To me this sounds like paradise because of the way he describes his life so casually. Not only does he get to lounge around all day and just lay back and relax on his little straw mats in California, but he gets to drink his calming tea and listen to the music mother nature supplies him with. That to me is ideal in the sense that I love nature and living organisms and sitting outside lounging around, all curled up and cuddled with my favorite drink sounds heavenly.

Page 166:
*"I cooked up a nice pot of beans for you." "You did?" He was tremendously grateful. "Boy, what a relief to come home from work and don't have to cook up a meal yourself. I'm starved."
-- Meaningful and beautiful is what this quote is. Ray had made and cooked a bean meal for Japhy and brought it to him. Today, had anyone done this for anyone else I am aquanted with would find this very odd and would not be the least bit thankful. I suppose since Japhy is Buddist this might have something to do with his beign very grateful. It makes me happy to know that there are some people in the world who are grateful for what they have/get. Knowing that the characters int eh book prtray real people is a comfortign peice of information.