Remembering Robin Williams

    
Last night I was clicking through Facebook as usual, and it popped up on my screen that Robin Williams was dead. My first reaction to this was holy shit. Then I thought this has to be a hoax. Then I check and find out it's true, and my heart sank. Next thing I know the news of Robin Williams' death is exploding all over Facebook. So I found myself thinking of all the memories that I had of him, which brings me to today's blog post. I honestly decided that today's topic was going to be done last night, but I wanted time to think on it before putting it down to paper.
    My first memory of Robin Williams is of him in the movie Hook where he played a grown up Peter Pan. As a kid I thought the movie was awesome and it even made me cry in the ending battle scenes. Now as an adult I find it even more amazing and it still makes me cry. I find it amazing how Robin Williams went from being so serious and uptight in the beginning of the movie. To being a carefree almost kidlike character at the end. The next movie I remember hearing him in was Disney's Aladdin where he played the Genie. Again I was still a kid when this came out so I didn't have much perspective on what made a good or bad movie. But both back then and now he had me laughing as well as pondering things he said in his lines.
    That's one of the things I liked so much about Robin Williams. Whether he was doing standup or an acting role he made you think, even as he made you laugh or cry. Towards the later part of his career he was being pickier about the parts he would take. It seemed to me he was only taking parts that interested him and made the audience think more. He also seemed to stretch the time between his standup specials out so that the audience would come in fresh and hungry for his material. And he was always honest with his fans. As well as open to talking with them and giving autographs and taking pictures. He was a warm and caring man for the most part.
    But he did battle mental illness the same as I freely admit I do. So I know he had those days where he didn't want to get out of bed. Or as I did in my younger years he had days that he wondered what was the point of going on. Which it seems eventually took his life. I can only speculate on that though. I wasn't in his head nor did I get the chance to ever talk to him, though I wish I had. I hope his tragic lose, as a result of mental health problems will not over shadow his creative genius, but I also hope it will be a rallying cry for mental health reform at the same time. I know kind of an oxymoron there. But if I must choose one of the two to have happen I would choose for his creative genius to outshine his mental health problems. Let someone else carry the torch of mental health reformer.
    I sincerely hope that someone writes a biography on him someday. I know there is probably one out already, but I mean one that covers all of his life. Because any biography out now only goes so far in terms of timeline. It truly makes you feel mortal when such gifted individuals such as Robin Williams and Jim Henson and Whitney Houston are dying. Often times I've thought that such gifted individuals must somehow be able to beat death only to be reminded that they can't. And always it seems too soon. Someone on my Facebook gave me the best line from Dead Poets Society to say farewell to Robin Williams. It goes "Oh Captain, my Captain." Sorry if I butchered it at all. But here now I will let Robin Williams's spirit rest in peace, and pay tribute to him by going and watching his movies. I hope you enjoyed my way of remembering Robin Williams and have a good day or night depending on when you're reading this. Bye for now.