I had a very dear friend who would have been 41 today. He was still in his 20's when I first met him and a few years later he was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy. Most of you will have never met him or know anything about him that would differentiate him from anyone else in the world.....and really, nothing that I write could possibly convey how very special Scott was. I'm writing this for me...because unfortunately, I never did have the opportunity to express these thoughts to him......no, that's not correct. I DID have opportunity (lots of opportunities) but as happens in life, I never took full advantage of them.
Scott was the younger sibling that I never had....small in stature but NOTHING about Scott was small. He dreamed big...he had passion for a number of things...he followed his heart even when everyone around him was skeptical...he loved big...really big. He was the exception to the rule that men and women can't be close, platonic friends. We discussed all sorts of intimate personal tidbits but it never was uncomfortable.....well.......maybe for Scott at times, but if it was he never showed it.
I could go on and on about my memories of him but the one really profound impact that he left on me is to embrace who you are....all of your idiosyncrasies...your good, your bad...your flaws, your charms...even your conditions that can, at times, make others uncomfortable. There are certain things that you just don't have the power to change....he had muscular dystrophy....I have bipolar disorder....we both learned to adapt to our situations (he with much more grace than I)....and I learned from Scott to not be ashamed of who I am. Most people will accept you for who you are and not what you have...and the rest.......well really...it's just too bad for them that they will never know just what they're missing.
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