Hashtag In Memoriam

Doesn't matter where I go on the internet tonight--everything is a reminder that we very recently lost one of my favorite actors of all time. It still hasn't really sunken in, to be honest. Chalk that up to denial being the first stage of grief. I just want to say a few words in his honor.

My first memory of Robin Williams is probably his role in the movie Flubber. I don't really remember the movie that well, just that it made me laugh like a lunatic back when I was only three years old. Granted, a lot of things make you laugh when you're that young, but maybe not quite so hard. I remember being obsessed with that movie for what seems like years looking back. Even got my mother to make "Flubber sherbert" on multiple occasions--her own recipe, I think.

Robin Williams has had so many roles since then that I've loved. So many times in those seventeen years that followed I laughed uncontrollably at something he said or did. I think we all feel a similar way. Laughter, to me, is very important, and Robin Williams was just one of those people who was outstanding at spreading it. And when I say "outstanding" I mean it. Not just good. Not just great. Outstanding. Sure, there were other comedians I'd seen or heard when I was younger, but his natural talent to produce comedy gold out of thin air was, in my mind, unparalleled.

"Comedy gold." I use the phrase because comedy, in my opinion, is a very valuable thing. I love to joke around, and I love to laugh. Without my sense of humor, I'd be an entirely different person--and a much more boring one, at that. It may be cliche, but it's true--I need comedy to live. I need it to de-stress. I need it to break the ice. I need it to handle awkward situations and sadness and frustration. If I couldn't let it all just slide off and make a joke about my situation, I honestly don't know what I would do.

This past year, I feel like I've lost a lot of the people in my life who helped to sculpt my sense of humor and attitude on life. Robin Williams is just the most recent comedian I've lost; before him, my grandfather and great uncle passed away, and I still miss them greatly. The two were brothers, and always made jokes. I admired my Great Uncle Theodore for his ability to crack jokes even when he himself was not happy, and I always wanted to be able to make an entire room roar with laughter the way my grandfather had. And while I may not have known Robin Williams personally, his demeanor affected me as well. I try to emulate his ability to be quick and witty--though I may not always succeed.

I'd like to thank all three of you for showing me that laughter is indeed the best medicine. I hope that wherever you are now, you're all still laughing and cracking jokes and just generally being wise guys. I promise you that I will continue to exercise my sense of humor every day, and use it to bring joy to myself and others, the same way you all did. I'll miss you.

--J