I received news earlier today that a guy I worked with in college died, apparently by his own hand, and in a particularly gruesome manner. I don't believe I had seen or talked to him in probably twenty years or so but we hung out quite a bit while we were in college; a regular guy, a good guy. Obviously I don't know the circumstances surrounding his demise, what may have caused him to- apparently- take his life and in the manner he did. But if the accounts are true something somewhere along the way went very wrong; regardless of the circumstances it is a shame to think of the guy that I knew being as troubled, as desperate, as devoid of hope- or as angry- as apparently he was that he would do himself in, and in that manner. Perhaps it seemed the best option to him. But sad. Very sad.
A good friend recently wrote me the following: The message that I keep getting is to slow down, enjoy the moment, and appreciate the people in your life. So true. While I'm not necessarily seeking to slow down (yet!) two things I've increasingly been trying to do are to enjoy the moment, to try and take pleasure and find fulfillment as best I can in any particular moment, and most importantly to appreciate all of the people in my life; family, friends, acquaintances, and more. A kinder, gentler Vito? Maybe. It may sound sappy but it is both a blessing and an honor to have so many good people in my life; I hadn't always appreciated just how blessed and honored I was. People- and life- are more precious, more fleeting, than I sometimes realized, worthy of the time and effort to embrace and to revel in them as best I can. As my football coach used to say: "You never know when it's gonna end."
I love you guys- now get out of here... (another Jim Mitchellism.)
