When I think of Robin Williams I smile on the inside. When I think he’s gone, I get a lump in my throat. That comic genius. The man. The laughter. The darkness. The loneliness. The loss.
While I was driving to see a good friend I heard one of our best fitness instructors talk on the radio about some famous actor. They talked about death. I wondered who it could be. They talked a bit about depression. I still wondered. I was thinking it must be one of the great old actors. A few moments later they said the words “Robin Williams”. My heart sank.
There is something magical about someone who can make you laugh at the drop of a hat. Someone who can mimic others. Someone who takes the seriousness out of life. Someone who makes the unmentionable mentionable in the most outrageous and funniest of ways.
Funny how the whole world loved him. Yet we all wear masks. The masks we wear as performers on this stage of life often does not show who we truly are. Often underneath the mask, there are emotions not spoken. Hurts not seen. Feelings not shared.
And somehow this week, we have to look at the legacy he left. All I know is he made me feel good, made me laugh, made me understand his serious work.
Those who suffer in silence must focus on hope. Keep looking and believing that you are good enough. Take off the mask you put in front of you. Reach out, talk, laugh, and share. Find the help you need. We are all guilty of wearing a mask some time.
I wondered why his death affected me like this. It hit me yesterday. I too have lost a comic genius. A mimic. My dad. And even though it’s 19 years, somehow Robin William’s death reminded me of what a family feels when their beacon of light no longer shines. When the one who cracks all the jokes is gone.
I hope Robin Williams bumps into my dad on his journey. He was another comic genius and a brilliant mimic. God help everybody else, they will have the place rocking with laughter. And perhaps we can learn a lesson from that. As we struggle to deal with everyday life and all its demands and stresses, laughter is by far the best medicine. All too often we focus on the bad stuff. And I wonder did Robin realize that even in death he shone a light on a much deeper issue. He would probably laugh, twinkle his eye and start to mimic. May you rest in peace Mr. Sunshine.