The sun sets on another day…
Sunset was wonderful, and very very bright. The constant rain gave a clarity to the sky and removed all the pollution as well as all the clouds. As sun set it was as though a golden flashlight was shining directly to the east and the water lit up like molten fire. I enjoyed it.
It is not often that I am sad, but I was last night as I watched a movie and saw that James Hampton had passed away in 2021. He hasn’t been on many things for a long time, but I met him about eight years ago at a Comic Con. He was having trouble as he had Parkinson’s and was having difficulty both talking and articulating everything. Many people walked by his booth as it was evident, he was frail but to me it was very evident who he was, and I smiled as I walked up to talk to him.
I believe it was his wife that was with him, if not it was a very close friend, and she began to explain that he was having difficulties talking but I said that was OK. I sat and talked to him for about 5 minutes about his films and about the things that he did that made me smile. I liked his characters and how he usually portrayed someone of innocence or seeming innocence. I talked to him about Teen Wolf for a moment and since no one else was there I bought a movie and a picture from him, and his wife took the money and asked if I wanted a picture. I of course did and got a picture with him and as I stood in front of the table ready to leave told him, “Thank you for making a difference to so many”.
I hadn’t planned or thought about the words but as I said something he cried a little and I knew it meant a lot to him. Of course, to me he was one of the many people who shaped my life if only just a little. I was watching a movie last night and saw him in it and as I did, I looked him up and realized he passed away from Parkinson’s.
There are so many people who make a difference in our lives is it so wrong to take a few moments and let them know. I write a few letters a week and I rarely hear back from anyone but when I do I smile for a moment. It would be so amazing to talk to some of these key individuals and see if they believed in their characters or if they were completely different. There are so many people that incite passion in the world, and I have found that often they do not necessarily have that passion, it belongs to the writer. When they do have that passion and the writer, and the actor align it is like a magic that cannot easily be understood. Finding someone so immersed in doing the right thing or being more is rare but it makes the world a better place.
So as the sun sets on another day, I will keep looking up people on the old TV shows I enjoy and in the old movies that I watch while so many people sleep and as I do so perhaps someday, I will have a conversation that shatters the world. At minimum it will shatter mine. I hope you find your way down some interesting rabbit holes as I do, and when you do I hope your passion explodes, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and live for passion…