12.01.07
Goodbye Stranger, Goodbye Friend
I had a minor amount of life Drama last night, and was all set to write about that. Suddenly, though, I don’t really feel like it. Bad news has a way of doing that to me. I learned just now that the legendary daredevil, Evel Knievel, has died.
As much as I want to find some light remark about this, I can’t. I know death is something we all must face, but to be brutally honest this man faced it far more times than any of us could dare to even conceive of. Mostly for no reason other than to put on a show. And what a show it was. He retired in 1980, so I never got to see him… but I always admired him. When I was very young, I wanted to be a stuntman for a short period of time; I think pretty much every young boy does at some point. Mr. Knievel was the reason why. We tend to live for adrenaline, live for thrills, and even if we never are in danger ourselves, watching someone tempt fate time and time again and get back up every single time… that’s not just courage, that’s not just fearlessness. That’s truly worthy of admiration. It’s an example to everyone: never, never, never never give up. Quit only when you’re good and ready to, and even then don’t quit until you’re satisfied.
Mr. Knievel was 69. He died peacefully. Which is the way it should be.
I’ve got some writing to do, and some Drama to prepare for tomorrow morning, so I’ll catch you folks later.