I've waited a few days to say anything about some recent news highlights. For me the most recent was number three, not necessarily literally but it feels that way.
I heard right after Christmas that a woman with whom I had been friendly in California had passed away in October from prescription drug abuse. She was so beautiful inside and out. The main reason her death surprised me is that she was one of the most devoted mothers I've ever known. He left a wonderful husband, a 21 year old son, a 17 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. I have to say that for me she's a prime example of how strong drugs can control a person's life-the drugs had to be in control because I know she would never have intentionally done anything to hurt her children and anyone in control would easily know this behavior would be harmful to their children.
Second, we had our own celebrity-by-voyeurism whose life ended a couple of weeks ago. Her killer? I have to say the media and, since I didn't know her or anyone involved in the situation only what I read in the newspapers, I'm assuming some her own friends and neighbors. Literally, though, it was by her own hands. This beautiful, intelligent woman was hounded by the media and tagged with many handles like "housewife hooker", etc. As many friends of mine have pointed out so perfectly, she could have been doing what she did all day and night and much more openly and it would have been legal if it had been for free. What bothers me most is that I don't personally know these folks who decide how and when my sisters and I use our own bodies but I kind of have a feeling she did. Who is it exactly that I'm paying rent to? And, as a local man so eloquently pointed out in his letter to the Flyer editor last week, we Howard County residents feel oh so much more safer now that our streets have been all cleaned up. Another great example of use of time and money, not that we need it anywhere else.
Third, Anna Nicole. I don't know why I've always been particularly drawn to her. I think it's because my life and hers have so many parallels. We were both born in Texas, we were both flat-chested teenagers, we were both raised in Texas, she grew up in a mobile home, I once drove by a Texas mobile home park...I know, freaky, huh? Her life was a train wreck that I couldn't look away from. Me and lots of others, but that doesn't let me off the hook. I allow myself one guilty-pleasure tv viewing enjoyment at a time. I also went through Sex and The City and Curb Your Enthusiasm stages, however separately. So for a while it was her reality show. I like to think of it as a sociological study, how do these minds work? Why do people watch, why do people do the things they do, etc.? I'll defend myself right here and say I never watch violent things-hate violence in any form. But she too, like example #1, loved her children but still couldn't overcome whatever that need was that couldn't even be met by or covered up with full cranial numbing. So much pain, not enough or the right kind of support or protection...
These were three beautiful, talented, intelligent (okay, two out of three) women who touched my heart for whatever weird reasons and are now gone for whatever weird reasons. I'm just saying this so that all of y'all who are reading this might join me in taking a moment to ponder their pain, mourn their families' loss, and consider how we can keep ourselves and our sisters from going the way these women did.
