Oh Genie..

To the man who lifted our hearts, granted our wishes, and made us laugh on our darkest days. Robin Williams inspired me to be strong, to laugh a lot, and reminded me that I don't have to grow up. He kept my imagination alive. He kept the writer in me burning and pushing for ideas. His characters shaped my childhood, my adolescence and my young adult years. Robin Williams is in my heart to stay, and his family is too.

A friend of mine posted a frustrated status on Facebook last night about how an actor dies and the world explodes in sad statuses but thousands of people die hungry every day and no one cares. To a point, she's right. Actors and Musicians are in the limelight, their worlds and secrets exposed for all of the public to see. Thousands of people die alone and in the shadows every day... but I assure you, some one cares. I care. I know more people care.

Robin Williams inspired laughter, hope, and imagination. He spoke to addicts about sobriety and he spoke about bullying, cancer, and how to pick yourself up and keep trucking. The world was shocked to see that his death is a likely suicide. How can someone who inspired everyone else to be so happy, so joyful have had such a deep personal struggle that he took his own life?

Many many people in my circles have struggled with depression and anxiety, including myself. To see someone else who stood as a beacon of light fall and lose himself in the struggle... it's scary. Every day people end their lives because of the same struggle that many of us fight each day. Every day the world loses beacons of light and hope.

The world explodes in sadness and fear when people like Robin Williams die. It becomes all too real how easy it is to give in to the struggle and say goodbye.

TheEnglishMajorWhoNeverWantsToGrowUp

"You're only given a little spark of madness, you mustn't lose it" Robin Williams