Let me the first to say that I didn't know Stuart Scott, in fact most of you will not of heard of him but earlier this week as I was skimming through the various social media channels that I belong to I came across a series of stories about his passing.
When I saw the stream of tributes, messages, and video montages dedicated to him I was both surprised and curious as to why so much coverage. Once I saw his face it was obvious who he was and where I'd seen and heard him as he was a sports commentator for ESPN whom I'd seen many times. Stuart had a big personality and brought his own style and genuine love of sports to television. He was groundbreaking!
Clearly in the grand scheme of things the notoriety of a sports commentators dying should not be front-page news (which it wasn't) especially since we are confronted and surrounded by tragedy on a monumental scale each day from the various conflicts that seem to bombard us incessantly.
I was struck not by his passing per see, although clearly tragic, the legacy that he seems to have left for all those who actually knew him or observed him throughout his storied and colorful career on TV is what was most striking. At 49, he was at the peak of his career, and prime of life, with an ever-expanding career and two loving daughters whom he doted on unashamedly. So why him I thought to myself?
It’s the sheer randomness (did I just make that word up?) of life, better or for worse this factor of randomness makes life fascinating, although in this particular case not for the best.
And its moments like these that bring any of our own personal losses back to each of us, its hard to be emotionally attached when it happens on the news, but if it’s a family member, coworker or close friend then everything changes. Increasingly I realize that life is so very tenuous, a place where there are no guarantees or pre-defined outcomes, well unless you count dying as one of those.
If I think of my dad, up until he collapsed and was subsequently diagnosed with brain cancer he was a healthy and robust guy who was still working as a laborer full time, albeit he was 79 years old. Dad seemed to like the daily ritual of going to work, and the physical nature of his job - it kept him active and vital.
Up until that point he hadn't shown any symptoms of being ill, however after his CAT scan it revealed that he should likely have died well before his collapse given the size and aggressiveness of the cancer inside his skull, especially when you factor in the internal swelling. Everything seemed fine until the moment it wasn't, then everything that we knew to be true changed forever…
What followed was a harrowing 5-hour brain surgery, which revealed a tumor so well entrenched that it was impossible to remove fully. From that point on, there was an end date stamped on dad and we all knew it, including him. Over the first few weeks he went through the stages of anger, sadness, loss and to some degree acceptance, although it’s impossible to really put yourself in their shoes, now matter how much we want to do that for them or hard we try - its them alone.
What I realized was that whether we like it or not our days are numbered (sorry to be such a downer!), but for me it really brought home the fact that I needed to evaluate and choose what was important in my life. This was a key turning point for me and since that time I've tried to build a life where I choose each day how I'm going to live, filing it with the things I love and the people that add meaning and enjoyment to my life. The tricky part of the equation is consciously letting go of the people who cast a negative influence on you.
Now I can hear some of you saying to yourself that this is a pretty harsh, perhaps self serving and cynical point of view, but just so we're clear - we only have one go around, no do overs...sorry!
Finding our passions and living an authentic and fulfilling life surrounded by people who love and care about you seems pretty good to me. ☺ However, its not just a matter of saying it, you actually have to do more than want it - you have to put it into action and make it real...every day!
So when I think of Stuart and his well documented battle with cancer I keep coming back to his zest for life, his passions and of course his deep love and visible affection for his daughters. Its clear he lived life on his terms, with no regrets, what more can you ask for.
Thank Stuart for reminding me how tenuous and precious life is!
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Last Saturday I took some time for a photoshoot downtown, just about the time a snow squall hit the city so some of my photos are outside and some inside the large enclosed shopping mall downtown. Enjoy!
When I saw the stream of tributes, messages, and video montages dedicated to him I was both surprised and curious as to why so much coverage. Once I saw his face it was obvious who he was and where I'd seen and heard him as he was a sports commentator for ESPN whom I'd seen many times. Stuart had a big personality and brought his own style and genuine love of sports to television. He was groundbreaking!
Clearly in the grand scheme of things the notoriety of a sports commentators dying should not be front-page news (which it wasn't) especially since we are confronted and surrounded by tragedy on a monumental scale each day from the various conflicts that seem to bombard us incessantly.
I was struck not by his passing per see, although clearly tragic, the legacy that he seems to have left for all those who actually knew him or observed him throughout his storied and colorful career on TV is what was most striking. At 49, he was at the peak of his career, and prime of life, with an ever-expanding career and two loving daughters whom he doted on unashamedly. So why him I thought to myself?
It’s the sheer randomness (did I just make that word up?) of life, better or for worse this factor of randomness makes life fascinating, although in this particular case not for the best.
And its moments like these that bring any of our own personal losses back to each of us, its hard to be emotionally attached when it happens on the news, but if it’s a family member, coworker or close friend then everything changes. Increasingly I realize that life is so very tenuous, a place where there are no guarantees or pre-defined outcomes, well unless you count dying as one of those.
If I think of my dad, up until he collapsed and was subsequently diagnosed with brain cancer he was a healthy and robust guy who was still working as a laborer full time, albeit he was 79 years old. Dad seemed to like the daily ritual of going to work, and the physical nature of his job - it kept him active and vital.
Up until that point he hadn't shown any symptoms of being ill, however after his CAT scan it revealed that he should likely have died well before his collapse given the size and aggressiveness of the cancer inside his skull, especially when you factor in the internal swelling. Everything seemed fine until the moment it wasn't, then everything that we knew to be true changed forever…
What followed was a harrowing 5-hour brain surgery, which revealed a tumor so well entrenched that it was impossible to remove fully. From that point on, there was an end date stamped on dad and we all knew it, including him. Over the first few weeks he went through the stages of anger, sadness, loss and to some degree acceptance, although it’s impossible to really put yourself in their shoes, now matter how much we want to do that for them or hard we try - its them alone.
What I realized was that whether we like it or not our days are numbered (sorry to be such a downer!), but for me it really brought home the fact that I needed to evaluate and choose what was important in my life. This was a key turning point for me and since that time I've tried to build a life where I choose each day how I'm going to live, filing it with the things I love and the people that add meaning and enjoyment to my life. The tricky part of the equation is consciously letting go of the people who cast a negative influence on you.
Now I can hear some of you saying to yourself that this is a pretty harsh, perhaps self serving and cynical point of view, but just so we're clear - we only have one go around, no do overs...sorry!
Finding our passions and living an authentic and fulfilling life surrounded by people who love and care about you seems pretty good to me. ☺ However, its not just a matter of saying it, you actually have to do more than want it - you have to put it into action and make it real...every day!
So when I think of Stuart and his well documented battle with cancer I keep coming back to his zest for life, his passions and of course his deep love and visible affection for his daughters. Its clear he lived life on his terms, with no regrets, what more can you ask for.
Thank Stuart for reminding me how tenuous and precious life is!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Saturday I took some time for a photoshoot downtown, just about the time a snow squall hit the city so some of my photos are outside and some inside the large enclosed shopping mall downtown. Enjoy!
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| Before the snow |
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| I love food trucks - just so much going on with them |
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| 19th century lamps on the old city Hall building |
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| The iron railings on the fence with the pre-snow squall leaden sky behind |
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| The backwards building number |
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| The girl in the green coat walking by... |
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| The Angel above University |
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| Memorial statue from the Boer War (1897 - 1899) on University Avenue |
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| The CN Tower through the gloom and steam of the cold afternoon light |
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| Snowflakes on the bike |
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| And so it begins.... |
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| Streetcar in the snow |
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| Reflection of TW getting another shot |
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| Christmas decorations are about to come down |
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| The large Christmas tree ball - loved the reflection in the image |
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| Massive reindeer display inside the Eaton Center |
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| Reflections of the billboard across Queen Street |
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| The reindeer up close and personal |
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| The fountain |
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| Snow on the roof accumulating |
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| The subway platform - almost looks like lego blocks |
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