There are some people....

There are some people out there that you just hate to meet, for whatever reason.

Some people don't know how to have any fun, as if laughter was something to be avoided. They don't know how to keep an interesting conversation going; they always interject something off-topic or smothering.

Some people have gone through life trying not to offend people by being PC, or by changing themselves to fit other people's perceptions. They try to be everything to everyone, and in doing so make themselves less, as if in assuming so many identities they have forgotten to forge their own.

Some people only say what other people want to hear, instead of saying the truth. Truth can be uncomfortable. Truth can be harsh and acidic. And thus, the truth can make some people fidget in their chairs and plug their ears.

Some people have run away from risks in life, staying in their comfort zone at all times, even when it means living a bland, average life. They've never experienced anything great, because they refuse to risk failing in their goal, and thus never even make it halfway to greatness.

Some people go through life doing what they're told, and never once saying "You know what? Screw you, I'm going to do what I want for once in my life!"

And then there are the other people. The other people that you love to meet, and try to surround yourself with.

These are the people who say what's on their mind, even when it might piss people off. They care more about the truth than your feelings, and even if they offend you in the process you're thankful that there's at least ONE person in the world who won't load you down with bullshit.

The other people not only know how to laugh and have a good time, they try to do it as much as they possibly can.

The other people are individuals to the core, and you know when you meet them that there ain't anyone else in the world quite like this guy or gal. Put twenty people in identical clothing and identical haircuts, and you can still pick those other people out, because the sheer act of fitting in with everyone else is so alien to them that they just can't do it.

The other people know that you don't get rich, or famous, or achieve greatness by sitting on your front porch bragging about what you did in highschool. You find the highest peak you can, and start climbing it, because the reward at the top of that peak is worth all the risks involved. And if you only made it halfway there, you can at least look down at all the miserable pukes who didn't even try, and pity them. Or tell them where the hand-holds are. Or both. What if the Wright Brothers said "Nah, too risky!'? What if the Pilgrims said "You know, Greenland should be good enough don't you think?" What if Christopher Columbus had said "Turn it around boys, it's too risky."? But they didn't. They were the other people.

Rob Smith was one of those other people. You read his blog, and you didn't know whether to curse him out or laugh out loud. You looked at the things he did in life, and you had one of two thoughts. It was either A) "Oh hell, I wish I'd done that!" or B) "Did you mean to fuck it up that bad, or was it an accident?"

Never once did you read his writing and go "Meh. Whatever."

Rob was found slumped on his couch this morning. He was in his mid 50's, but he packed more life into those years than some people could experience in three lifetimes. He lived life on his terms, and if you didn't like it then you could kiss his cracker ass.

I met Rob in Tacoma, when he and his friend Catfish (and Catfish's wife Georgia) were doing a road trip through the States. He was a cranky old coot, but that could have something to do with the fact that I showed up in a kilt and a smile with my then girlfriend (now wife) on my arm. We talked, and drank, and had a good time, and then my wife and I went home. We've kept in touch, kinda-sorta. I'd read his blog, he'd stop by here every now and then, and we'd wave at each other over the internet. I figured I'd get another chance to hang out with him when I got off this island.

Not this time.

Rob had written steadily for years. He influenced more people than even he knew. And when the bullshit was flying, you could always count on Rob to cut through the crap and lay out the truth as he saw it. Even if you didn't like what he presented, you knew he wasn't giving you a line of BS. He had a hell of a life, both good and bad, and towards the end of it managed to beat down his personal demons. Again, life on his terms. There wasn't anything that was going to control him if he had anything to say about it.

Rob wrote the way people should write. He was popular because he not only put his heart out on his blog, he made sure you could understand how he felt and why he felt that way. He was a better communicator than most of the intellectuals today could even dream of being.

Dammit, Rob, you're going to be missed. This planet needs more of people like you, not less.

But Godspeed, brother.