I do not know Chris very well, but when I heard about his passing, I reflected on his positive contribution to my life, and I felt compelled to write something about him.
When I hear about
the passing of my old friend,
initially, I am more shocked
than saddened. After all,
he did not play a huge part
in my life. He does not
hold a large portion
of my heart.
I saw him once maybe
every several months.
I start to reflect on the fun times
we occasionally shared,
the soccer games we won,
in large part,
because he relentlessly guarded
the other team’s best player,
the jokes we cracked in the high school halls,
our discussion at my 5k about tattooing,
think of how good of a man he became,
and how he was a tough-ass
but never bullied anyone.
Then I start to cry:
maybe happy tears as much as sad tears.
I realize how good people, like Chris Johnson,
make this world a better place,
how awful it is when one is taken away,
and how my life is better because of him.
Leave a Reply