There Might Be Worth in Death

8:31 AM Edit This 15 Comments »
I didn't exactly intentionally do anything to celebrate Jason's birthday, but it turned out well nonetheless. As usual for Wednesdays, I went to a meeting, and I met with a gal afterward. A woman that has not been able to string together much more than a few sober days at a time. A woman that at one time, traveled the globe with the Dead Guy, following the Grateful Dead. Yes. A woman that slept and lived with the Dead Guy for almost five years in various and sundry tents, shacks, hotel rooms and hostels. We don't talk about him much, but we both know the history is there.

So when I ask her if she's ever believed in something other than herself and she kind of giggles and says, "Well, I used to think the Grateful Dead was my higher power." I whip out the picture of the Dead Guy that I keep in my book and say, "Well, look what that higher power did to him."

And something clicked. I'm not sure what it was. I'm not sure if it means anything to her yet or if it ever will. But it did click that if she couldn't get this thing, she'd probably die the miserable disgusting death that he did. And if there's a way to commemorate his life, maybe that's it.

15 comments:

saratogajean said...

Good for you, Kate.

Anonymous said...

Wow.

That's...wow.

BrianAlt said...

Apparently I just had to say it twice.

buffalodick said...

Everybody gets a different deal, that's for sure...

Anonymous said...

Its out there now, her turn to act.

t2ed said...

And they say the universe doesn't have a sense of humor.

Having it be the Grateful Dead? You couldn't make up this kind of stuff.

rachaelgking said...

I hope you actually got through to her, too. You'll have literally saved a life.

<3

Unknown said...

You're an awesome person. You know that, right? Sometimes a push in the right direction is to say only a few words!

Anonymous said...

You should write a book.

Anonymous said...

Seems like as good a place as any to tell you that your url that comes up on your Arjewtino comments is wrong - it's newlifesd.blogPspot.com, which is apparently a malicious site. Who woulda thunk it?

Kate said...

Thanks, girl!

MsDarkstar said...

I love that you are going to channel something sad into something that is going to be a "lightbulb moment" for someone and save their life. I hope it's the gal you were talking to, but if it isn't, I know you're going to trip the switch for someone!

Anonymous said...

Good for you! And I hope she will use this and it will be good for her as well.

[F]oxymoron said...

Powerful... !!!

monkey's mama said...

i clearly need to read your archives.