Again

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Another bright, young, very talented actor...dead. Apparent drug overdose.

A flurry of thoughts accompanied the news, swirling around my head, falling away one by one until only two remained: "What a waste" and "Fame and Fortune aren't everything".

I feel like this is a warning tale for those young people who think being rich and famous will solve all of their problems. I don't think it does. I think it makes some things far worse. Maybe it skews all of a persons priorities, making them susceptible to malignant outside influences. Maybe it just makes it far to easy to obtain harmful substances.

I've blogged about waste before. This morning it seems appropriate to post it again.

September 25
What a waste
I just finished watching a movie starring River Phoenix.

When I was 13 years old I had a mad teenage crush on him. He was young, just my age in fact, and so talented! And really cute. Of course, that was the most important thing to me at 13.
Being an average-type person, I don't really understand what happened, but somewhere between 13 and 23 he got very messed up. He died at 23 of a drug overdose.
Even now, as a watch his movies, I think, what a waste! Imagine what remarkable things he could have done if he had given himself the chance. What would his life have been like if he had been more centered, less self-destructive, more average?

Am I, as a parent, giving my kids the chance to be remarkable while still keeping them centered? Or, am I asking for too much without being the support system that can keep them grounded? Sometimes it's difficult to remember that although I might wish differently, they have the right to choose their own way. Even the best parents in the world can have a wayward child. In the end, the only thing for a loving parent to do is teach them the best we can now, pray for them all along the way, and hope that when they look back on their own lives they won't feel like it's all been a waste.