Wild Life
I told myself that I was going to bed by now, but it just didn’t happen–instead, I saw some of the headlines on Google News about Steve Irwin’s death. I’d already heard of this, in a half stupor this morning as I was still shaking the sleep out of my head, and I didn’t think much of it.
Irwin, however, was the Michael Jordan of his game. Sure, people criticize and say he took risks, etc. etc. etc.
It gets old, but it’s also true.
He’s 8 years older than me and he’s leaving behind his wife and 2 young children. I’d say the only positive is that they’ve got mountains of video so that they can get to understand, appreciate the type of person their father was. Hopefully there will be a lot of reality in the outtakes, too.
But I thought to myself that the risks we often take don’t even include the potential harm they could cause to people who are most important in our lives.
I mean, you’re driving and someone cuts you off. You yell. You flip them off. You ride their ass and honk your horn.
They get out at the stop light and drag you out of your car and beat you to death.
Hrmm. Should have thought that through better, right?
Sure, it’s somewhat unlikely, but so was Irwin running into danger when he was a hard core professional in his field, well-respected and well-loved.
Anyway, I don’t feel much like prattling on about the subject except to say that I don’t think I could put myself into his role–hell, I don’t even want to take jobs with excessive travel so I won’t have to be away from my family OR have to leave the sole burden of parenting on my wife, but even so, at the end of it all, I just feel for the loss that is on his family.
I wish them well. I feel for them. I cannot imagine the pain they feel, and can only begin to imagine the pain I would feel without my own family.
Be safe and well.