Hunter

Back from another amazing three days with Joey and his precious family. There really is nothing like shooting stars, walks around a farm at sunset, lots of laughs, and good music to refresh the battered soul. :)

And now, in a little over a week, I start student teaching. When people ask me if I'm excited or nervous, the answer is always "yes." I'm excited to start this phase that's basically the waiting room for my future career. I'm nervous about getting into a new environment, this new role. But now, sitting here in my pajamas on a nearly-fall Saturday with paperwork and old English notebooks and writing out potential notes for the literature we'll be covering with 190 juniors and seniors, I'm starting to look forward to this more and more!

Since it is only 10 am on a Saturday morning, I decided to turn on a movie in the background to wake up a little bit. And this morning it's "Patch Adams," in memory of the late great Robin Williams. Word of his death rocked me more than most celebrity deaths - maybe because of the tragic way he went, maybe because I still have the idea that actors and famous people of my generation will never not be there. Whatever the reason, I was deeply saddened by the passing of one of the funniest men I've ever seen.

Geared though he was toward comedies, his best roles (in my mind, anyway) are the ones who dare to defy what has always been, the ones who put heart and soul into jobs that have a straightforward definition. "Patch Adams," "Good Will Hunting," "Dead Poets Society," "Good Morning Vietnam" - these were the ones that truly defined his acting career to me. It was "Dead Poets Society" that made me want to be a teacher in the first place, as I've heard it is with so many people. "Patch Adams" showed the relationship that can be developed when people see each other as people and make the effort to touch them on a human level. These films have heart, humor, and severe inspiration for those who watch them.

I think that's why it's so tragic that he went the way he did. Obviously the man behind the roles had his own demons that nobody else knew about, as we all do. But I wonder if he knew how many people he touched with his work.

I wonder if it would have made a difference.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, at this time this blog post will turn from a commentary to a commission. Go tell somebody. Go tell somebody what they mean to you. You may be exactly what they need to hear today.