ROBIN WILLIAMS’ LEGACY

Robin Williams was totally fearless and relentless in his pursuit of your smile and laughter. If you get right down to it, It doesn’t get much nobler then that.

The tragedy of his passing gives me pause. I realize I need to stop living life as though everything has an expiration date.

I first learned the meaning of expression “carpe diem” from Robin Williams in an interview he did. I’m a believer.

However, when you find yourself continually “chasing trains” for fear that was the last one, you’re probably on the wrong track.

Robin’s tragic passing makes me all the more grateful for another day. I think it’s OK to just enjoy being at the station sometimes, knowing that a train is on its way, instead of worrying if it’s on time. Do I have my ticket? Will I get a seat? What if it has to stop for freights? What if I’m late? It’s too much noise! Just know that you’ll get there! All you have to do is climb aboard.

If you are a fan, why not slow down a little today in his honor? He’d want us to laugh at ourselves, as he did.

The way I see it, he didn’t take his own life. Depression took it. If you’ve ever suffered from depression, you know it can invade your body like any other disease and rob you of your true self.

A QUICK STORY…

My son has type 1 diabetes. When he was getting ready for high school once when I found him just sitting in the living room doing nothing. He was going to be late.

I asked him what he was doing and he gave me some innocuous answer. He appeared to be perfectly fine with the exception that he was making no effort to get ready for school and had a very weird grin on his face.

I asked him if he could have low blood sugar and he smiled and said “I don’t know.”

I ran and got him some juice, which he drank. I’ve never seen him have react this way to an insulin reaction before. He just sat there smiling and talking (albeit, slower than usual) as we continued to find ways to give him sugar. I finally called the paramedics.

When they arrived he sat and smiled at them. They gave him a shot of glucagon and within about 2 minutes he was himself again. His eyes were open the entire time. But his brain was somewhere else. When he felt better, he was frightened by the fact that there were two paramedics in our living room.

“What’s going on? Who are these people? What are they doing here? Is someone sick?” He asked.

We explained what had happened. He appeared to be conscious the entire time, (sitting up with his eyes open and smiling.) But the insulin reaction in essence, seized his brain. He had no recollection of the last 20 minutes. That’s how I view depression.

I think we’re all inclined to think everything has an expiration date and in some cases it’s true. But if the milk expires, what do you do? Stop drinking milk? No. You go out and buy more.

I suggest, that to honor Robin’s passing, slow down today and find a way to laugh your ass off! He left an unparalleled legacy of humor behind. Make use of it. It’s what he lived for and will lower your risk of depression.
I imagine, it’s what he would have wanted.