This was the blog I was going to write, with much introspection, after having just seen “Warrior”, a much more thought-provoking movie than many would give it credit for on its face. I had it half-written in my head, as I walked back to the hotel from the theatre.
Then I got back to my home away from home this week, a condo in Toronto, and got a note from one of my best friends’ brother, telling me that my friend had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I am sitting here with tears pouring down my cheeks at this news.
There is a lot of shit in this world. This week, a first year student at Acadia drank himself to death, playing a drinking game with liquor instead of beer. It could have been my son. Debbie’s uncle Harvey, a good man in his own right, was also diagnosed this past week with pancreatic cancer. People get sick. People die.
Good people. People we know. Fathers, sons, brothers, husbands and friends….
As they say in Africa, “Hasa Diga Eebowai”!
My friend epitomizes the French phrase “joie de vivre”. He always has, and he always will. More importantly, and to paraphrase Tennyson, he is a part of all he has met. His joie de vivre is contagious and has infected all those with whom he has crossed paths. As college roommates and best friends, I can’t tell you how often he would bring a smile to my face. You couldn’t be sad around him. He is the rare individual who could, singlehandedly, lift the mood of an entire room (or bar or party).
My friend is a father, a son, a brother, a husband and a friend to many. He has given so much of his energy to lifting the spirits of those around him, but now it’s time for him to allow those near him to reciprocate. Let your children, your parents, family and friends energize you. Do not lose the joie de vivre that makes you, you.
Your friendship means more to me than you’ll ever know.
Je t’aime fort, mon ami.
Martin
