I just don’t know what to say.
When I used to go to Stampede Wrestling here in Edmonton, I used to see Chris Benoit in the crowd with the rest of us fans. I remember when he first broke into the business. I remember when he won his first title. I’ve watched him wrestle virtually his entire career. And for all that time, I’ve also admired him. His work in the ring was always crisp, sharp, quick and intense. In fact, I patterned parts of “Mr. Intensity” after Chris’ style.
You can’t imagine how thrilled I was when Chris won the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania XX in Madison Square Garden. For ANYONE who’s ever wanted to be a wrestler that would be the ultimate. Like finding the Holy Grail at Christmastime in Mecca. It was his dream and it had come true. And his response at the end of the match, bursting into tears when he was announced as “the winner and NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!” was exactly appropriate. I remember watching that with my kids. Right at that moment, I paused the DVD, wiped the tears out of my eyes and told them, “If you guys do nothing else with your lives, know that moment.” It seems kind of hokey typing it here, but I meant it then. He worked hard to achieve his dreams, he didn’t listen to anyone who said he couldn’t do it, and he accepted the sacrifices he had to make. I held him up to my kids as someone to emulate.
How the hell do I do that now?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Reconnecting...
I’ve recently been spending a lot of my online time on Facebook and Myspace. Mostly Facebook. Myspace seems to be geared more towards self-promotion than anything else. And it’s great for that. Facebook is more just people interacting with people. And for the past few weeks, I’ve been having a blast doing just that.
And, lucky me, I’ve been reconnecting with a bunch of people I haven’t seen in many, many years. Some of them are stunned at how much I’ve changed since way-back-when. Tracy and I went out to dinner with one woman and her husband. She and I went to school together and even used to hang out after graduation. Then, our lives headed different directions, and *poof!*; before we know it, twenty years has gone by. She and I both wondered aloud if we’d have done anything different last time we were hanging out if we’d known it was going to be twenty years before we saw each other again. Anyways, dinner the other night was a laugh riot – lots of reminiscing and lots of catching up with what’s gone on in each others lives. The night ended with promises not to make next time twenty years further down the track.
I’ve caught up with several other friends in the past few weeks and I’m honestly thrilled to have found them. I’ve come to realize I’ve missed their friendship, missed their company, missed their reassuring presence. I’ve always felt a great deal of fondness for the person I knew then, and I’ve started to enjoy the company of the person they’ve become. I’m going to work on reconnecting with more old friends. If you’re reading this and you’re one of my old friends, drop me a line on Facebook or Myspace. I’d love to hear from you.
All of this had made me think of the final, typed lines of “Stand By Me”:
“I never had any friends later on in life like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
=====================
Just finished reading:
I couldn't put down Beth Ciotta's latest book, All About Evie. It had me going right to the end. Just plain great writing and storytelling with lots of laugh out loud moments. Well done, Beth. If you haven't read it, you should check it out!
Currently reading:
Heather Graham's latest offering is The Dead Room.
A year ago, archaeologist Leslie MacIntyre barely survived the explosion that took the life of her fiancé, Matt Connolly. In the long months since, she's slowly come to terms not only with her loss but with her unsettling new ability to communicate with ghosts, a dubious 'gift' received in the wake of her own brush with death. Now she's returned to lower Manhattan's historic Hastings House, site of the explosion, to conquer her fears and investigate a newly discovered burial ground. In this place, restless spirits hold the secrets not only of past injustice but of a very real and very contemporary conspiracy with deadly designs on the city's women—including Leslie herself. By night Matt visits her in dreams, warning her and offering clues to the truth, while by day she finds herself helped by—and attracted to—his flesh-and-blood cousin Joe. Torn by her feelings for both men, caught between the worlds of the living and the dead, Leslie struggles against the encroaching danger that threatens to overcome her. As she is drawn closer to the darkness at the heart of Hastings House, she must ultimately face the power of an evil mind, alone in a place where not even the men she loves can save her.
And, lucky me, I’ve been reconnecting with a bunch of people I haven’t seen in many, many years. Some of them are stunned at how much I’ve changed since way-back-when. Tracy and I went out to dinner with one woman and her husband. She and I went to school together and even used to hang out after graduation. Then, our lives headed different directions, and *poof!*; before we know it, twenty years has gone by. She and I both wondered aloud if we’d have done anything different last time we were hanging out if we’d known it was going to be twenty years before we saw each other again. Anyways, dinner the other night was a laugh riot – lots of reminiscing and lots of catching up with what’s gone on in each others lives. The night ended with promises not to make next time twenty years further down the track.
I’ve caught up with several other friends in the past few weeks and I’m honestly thrilled to have found them. I’ve come to realize I’ve missed their friendship, missed their company, missed their reassuring presence. I’ve always felt a great deal of fondness for the person I knew then, and I’ve started to enjoy the company of the person they’ve become. I’m going to work on reconnecting with more old friends. If you’re reading this and you’re one of my old friends, drop me a line on Facebook or Myspace. I’d love to hear from you.
All of this had made me think of the final, typed lines of “Stand By Me”:
“I never had any friends later on in life like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
=====================
Just finished reading:
I couldn't put down Beth Ciotta's latest book, All About Evie. It had me going right to the end. Just plain great writing and storytelling with lots of laugh out loud moments. Well done, Beth. If you haven't read it, you should check it out!
Currently reading:
Heather Graham's latest offering is The Dead Room.A year ago, archaeologist Leslie MacIntyre barely survived the explosion that took the life of her fiancé, Matt Connolly. In the long months since, she's slowly come to terms not only with her loss but with her unsettling new ability to communicate with ghosts, a dubious 'gift' received in the wake of her own brush with death. Now she's returned to lower Manhattan's historic Hastings House, site of the explosion, to conquer her fears and investigate a newly discovered burial ground. In this place, restless spirits hold the secrets not only of past injustice but of a very real and very contemporary conspiracy with deadly designs on the city's women—including Leslie herself. By night Matt visits her in dreams, warning her and offering clues to the truth, while by day she finds herself helped by—and attracted to—his flesh-and-blood cousin Joe. Torn by her feelings for both men, caught between the worlds of the living and the dead, Leslie struggles against the encroaching danger that threatens to overcome her. As she is drawn closer to the darkness at the heart of Hastings House, she must ultimately face the power of an evil mind, alone in a place where not even the men she loves can save her.
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