And This Happened This Week

I might as well.  Everybody else is doing it.  But with a slightly different angle.

I was sitting in a business office when a colleague was looking at her computer and exclaimed, "Oh, my God, Robin Williams died."

It was one of those breaking news alerts that literally took my breath away.  People often misuse the concept of being shocked, but this truly was one.    It was the same as when Michael Jackson died.  Whether you were a fan or not, you were immediately and totally consumed.  The total concept of being "taken aback."

It reminded me of the time that I actually saw and had a brief moment with Robin Williams.   No, it wasn't in a comedy club or a theater.  I was simply walking through the Century City shopping mall around the corner from my home.  I turned the corner by Bloomingdale's and found myself face-to-face with Mork himself.  He was simply doing what I was doing.   He was carrying a shopping bag.

The suddenness of our encounter must have registered on my face.  He smiled at me and said "hello."  I did the same.

And that was it.

I will admit that there are two moments in Robin Williams' career that I will always remember.   The first came during those initial episodes of "Mork and Mindy" where you saw a sitcom in a way you never had before.   It seemed as if it was being made up right before our eyes.  Totally spontaneous and yet there were still writers' name credited.  Truth be told, the novelty of his almost mystical work on that show died off fairly quickly.  But, those very first shows were magical and memorable. 

I also am thinking about the penultimate episode of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.  We were all dealing with a grief of another kind during that time.  I was relishing every last moment with Johnny behind that desk.   Robin Williams and Bette Midler were the guests that evening and really the last performers ever to appear on the Carson show.  Their antics that night made us laugh heartily and helped us get through the difficult TV passage.

Oh, sure, I saw a bunch of his other appearances and most of his movies.  He was one of those rare birds that managed to shuttle comfortably between comedy and drama, a task that is not as easy as it sounds.  You just knew that somebody with that much talent and quickness and creativity had to be multi-layered, both good and bad.  It was no surprise to me whenever I heard that those inner demons had come to the forefront one more time.

Of course, on the day that Robin Williams' suicide was announced, the mainstream media and news outlets naturally went crazy.  Wall-to-wall coverage.  CNN, of course, jumped on the bandwagon as they endeavor to find the next Malaysian Airline story.  Inexplicably, that dummy Wolf Blitzer went on the air and, talking about Robin, said that "America must find a way to deal with this loss."  Huh?  Yes, it was tragic.  But it also wasn't November 22, 1963.  But, then again, this is America in 2014 where the very worst thing to happen ever just occurred five minutes ago.

I was bombarded with tweets and comments from celebrities or...in reality...their publicists.   Whether they knew Robin or not, everybody had something to say.   No place on Earth does death better than Hollywood.  Of course, each and every quote started with "Robin was the nicest guy I have ever worked with."  It was almost unanimous.   Given the dark periods he endured, I really would have appreciated the Hollywood celebrity who commented that they had worked with Robin during one of his cocaine binges and he was a real shithead.  You know those folks are out there.  Because somebody with his plethora of problems could not have been easy going and free wheeling 24/7.

But that is the phoniness of the world that Robin Williams lived and worked in.  He knew he was tormented.  He tried to get help on multiple occasions.  I hope he was not alone in knowing that he needed assistance to get through the days.

And that's my biggest takeaway from this week.  Those folks like Robin who can't get help or don't even see the warning signs of depression and mental illness.

I read a statistic this week that the number of suicides in America has dramatically increased over the last decade.  Now here's a news item that did not surprise me.   And I think there's two main reasons why it's happened.

Our worlds are frenzied.   Our attention is divided by a myriad of portals and diversions from e-mails to Facebook to DVRs to you name it.  We all retreat into our cocoons and personal connections with other people have become...well...secondary.  If somebody in our world is in pain or needs a shoulder to lean on, we're missing it.  You.  Me.  All of us.

I'm thinking also about our doctors and their propensity to access the prescription pad to cure all ills.  Take this.  Take that.  All chemicals that, in turn, may or may not help us.  Our blood is loaded with different kinds of elements that may or may not mix well with each other.   Our plasma is like snowflakes.  No two are alike.  And a drug that helps one person may not inter-connect with the medications taken by another.

It brings me back to the days when my mother was first retired.  I've never really told this story to many, although it might show up in a Sunday Memory Drawer at some point.  She had a tough time dealing with this and also was coping with the onset of arthritis.   She knew enough to recognize she had a trouble so she sought the help of her doctor.

Said physician prescribed her a sleeping pill and an anti-depressant.  Oh, and for a chaser, Mom was to take a painkiller.   The mix for my mother almost became lethal.   On a daily phone call to her, I heard the words that were chilling to me.

"I feel like I want to kill myself."

This was not said in jest.  It was not her reaction to the Mets losing the night before.   And I could tell the difference.  I immediately made some calls and the right ones.   I got her some quick and copious help.  

So what does this have to do with Robin Williams?

Well, as you mourn him, you might be moved to watch an old episode of his TV show or perhaps the DVD of "Aladdin."   There are others who are wringing their hands and lambasting the treatment of this news story by pundits, reporters, and the like.

I say that you use your time more wisely.   If you have a friend that you know is struggling, make a call.   Pay a visit.  Let them know you're around.

That's exactly what Robin Williams would want you to do.  There is no better tribute in the world.

Dinner last night:  Grilled bratwurst, German potato salad, and salad.