It was a banner night; it was a shocking night

So life, even for annoying optimists like me, has its peaks and valleys.  Last night held both of those.

First the peak:  Wifey attended a talk given by D1, at our local shul.  The talk capped an awesome day for D1 -- full slate of clients, followed by her first night of teaching at UM.  She was hired to teach a graduate level nutrition class, and, well, the way I tend to admire professors combined with my love of the U -- it made me incredibly proud.  And Wifey reported that the packed house at the shul, probably over 60 women, adored D1 -- hung on her every, rapid fire delivered word about improving their health.  D1's dear friend Alyssa surprised her and attended, along with her Mom Barbara, and I got to speak to the two giddy young ladies as they drove home together afterwards.  I've known Alyssa since Middle School, and she is an accomplished executive at a local Latin American company, and married to one of my favorite guys, Freddy, a Honduran.  Alyssa and Freddy and D1 and D1's man Joey double date -- the two Latin guys with their gringa ladies.  It's all so wonderful to me.

And then Wifey told me she had received an awful text from a dear friend, about the boyfriend of another friend.  It seems the other friend's boyfriend, a man in his late 40s, had died.

Wifey and I called the friend's sister, and she filled us in.  The fellow had been troubled -- a recovering addict and drinker.  I met him only once -- at a birthday party -- and liked him.  More importantly, he seemed to bring so much happiness to Wifey's friend, a life long single woman.

I had a strong suspicion he was a recovering addict -- I guess a career of representing a wide array of folks has given me a sense of who people are -- and it turned out my suspicions were correct.  The fellow took his own life, in his apartment in Fort Lauderdale.

I had only met him the one time, but I was still shocked and saddened.  He was young and handsome, and clearly a fellow who attended the gym.  He had a great time with the varied crowd at the Miami Beach party -- most of whom were a good deal older than he.  He was from Ohio and an Ohio State fan -- I joked with him that I forgave him for that -- and we talked about the infamous National Championship game.  I left the party thinking -- well, this is a fellow with a troubled past, but he seems ok now, and most importantly, has brought some new life to Wifey's friend of nearly 40 years.

And now he's gone -- just like that.

It's funny -- just yesterday morning, I had a long talk with one of my brothers -- about how some people have the capacity to experience true joy in life, while so many others simply can't.  This unfortunate latter group simply cannot ever let go and savor things -- they always keep control, and ruminate, and judge.

So the lesson I take from yesterday is simple -- when life brings you the good, like, for me, D1's soaring -- I will unabashedly celebrate, and crow, and let her know how much I adore her.  Around the bend, as the sages know, often lurks danger.

I went to sleep last night with Neil Young's words in my head: "Every junkie's like a setting sun."  May this fellow find the peace wherever his soul is -- the peace he didn't find among us.