The Death of a Bright Star

There come days in my life where it gets dark. Really, really dark ... I am sure I am not alone in this. I am sure many of us have days where we lose something - a dear person, a dear pet, an ideal, a dream, a little bit of health, a hope ... 

Today is one such day. After reading about the death of Anthony Bourdain, a man who, in my opinion, defies labels and definitions, it got really dark. 

My husband and I were talking and we both feel like we've known him on a personal level. We had the luxury of seeing him live a few years back in Salt Lake City and I am so happy we got that chance! He was so real. He was so honest. Heart on his sleeve, he called what he saw what he thought it should be called. He had little concern for how he was perceived, and he was unapologetically honest, and truthful to himself. Or so we thought ... 

I have been collecting his books for years, but I have to confess that I am yet to crack one open. In a world that has so much stuff out there, on all the feeds I follow, I have been following his shows, his blog posts, his articles, his facebook feeds. I have been keeping his books for that one day, when I will work less and read more - like a treasured keepsake that you might only bring out once a year for the holidays. 

Once you get him, I think it's hard to kick the habit - so I have been able to conveniently get a healthy helping of Bourdain through various media sites, and through CNN. 

He had such an eye for the ordinary, and such a gift to make it extraordinary. He is one of the geniuses of story-telling, which is secondary only to his honesty. He peeled reality like an onion, to get to the bitter-sweet-spicy core of it. 

He made you feel, and smell, and taste (mostly) with him. But most of all, he made you feel the humanity in everything he followed. I think, ultimately, he loved people, the more obscure, the more troubled, the more underdog-like, the better. Nothing was ordinary to him. As it shouldn't be, for nothing is random in this world, and beyond! He called your senses to pay attention and not miss the big miracle that the world around you is. He was all about awareness, most of all. And understanding, secondly. 

I had to stop from my busy day and record this. My mind just stopped. My heart breaks for his family, for us all, for the world in general. How no one can prevent such sudden and sad deaths is still beyond me ... 

Rest in peace, Chef! I am saddened that I won't be adding to my book collection anymore, which is the only thing I have left to "hear" you again ...