Discovered this afternoon that an old acquaintance passed away; I didn’t dig for details because I knew this person for several years and during the latter parts of our association, everyone that knew him could see him slipping deeper into bad health created by a life of self abuse.
He was a good person, however, even good people have bad habits and he allowed those habits to control which avenues most of his life took. He was highly intelligent, gifted with a vivid imagination and a knack for entertainment which he never fully pursued. He and I shared parallel demons at one time, and I knew what I needed to do to make a positive difference in my life, and I had hoped a light switch would click inside his brain, but he was set in his ways and if he did want to change he wasn’t going to do it willingly anytime soon.
When someone asked if I had heard about this person recently, I already knew what they were waiting to tell me – he had died.
Quite frankly, I’m not interested in the whens and hows. I’m just thankful that he is finally resting peacefully; without pain for the first time in what I am sure were several decades, no longer chased by demons. He was always kind, as generous as his means allowed him to be, and loved making people laugh. That is how I will remember him.
