Its ALL Blarney!!

I just hung up the phone with my daughter.  Im still in shock…Its very hard to write this, and I confess, my usual eloquence eludes me this day because I just learned someone very very special to me took his life 10 days ago.  I still cant believe it.  The young man I knew was so full of life, so full of sass, that I would never in a million years have considered him capable of even THINKING about taking his own life, but apparently thats what he did.  I dont know all the details, I dont think anyone ever will, and I am not close with his widow, so I cant talk with her like a family friend might do, to share stories or cry on each other’s shoulders….so my daughter and I commiserated together for a time, both of us just amazed that someone so full of piss and vinegar could be completely unexpectedly, forever gone. She mentioned that the local paper had published an obituary (see below)

I first met Eddie through my daughter–they attended High school together.  He had a crush on her, but while she was fond of him, she didnt return his feelings that way.  Like a cork, however, Eddie bounced back and would occasionally come by to see me and my son.  We’d watch movies or catch up on each others’ lives and although his visits were random and unpredictable, you always knew he was exactly where he CHOSE to be.  That was part of his charm, (and probably hell for his wife to deal with), but Eddie never ever looked back.  He did what he wanted when he wanted and never sweated the small stuff.  Somehow I knew that the best relationship to have with Eddie was one that was built on FREEDOM.  And because I never expected anything from him, he gave of himself freely (and fairly frequently).  Eddie always seemed larger than life to me,  and every now and again he would share some tidbit of his past –that may or may not have been true– and his life force was such that you found yourself believing him.  He once told me his family used to be somehow connected with the rodeo, and that he himself had bronco-busted his fair share of horses, and had broken quite a few bones in the process.  At that time, he was employed on a local ranch and had apparently used his bronco-busting experience to get that position.   In hindsight, I realize that it doesnt matter to me whether or not his account was true, because its in keeping with the spirit of this Rebel, and Im perfectly content to suspend any disbelief.

If someone were to ask me to describe Eddie, I’d say he was someone who spit in the eye of authority, who valued his friends and family, who always had a job (even if they didnt all last that long) and who met life head on, was never afraid to take risks or pay the price for taking risks.  He always had this marvelous twinkle in his eye as if he was up to no good–in fact, my best one word description of him would be “rascal.”  Actually, maybe REBEL would be the better choice, because truly thats what he was.  And I will miss him very much.  RIP my REBEL friend (and more). I’ll always love you.

~ by irishgrl on March 30, 2010.

Posted in because I said so, Oddz and Endz
Tags: Eddie, friend, love, rascal, Rebel