The Way I Choose to Remember Robin Williams

We sometimes forget that all men are fallible and mortal.

Robin Williams was a classic, an icon.  I believe that the roles he played were characters of himself. I believe he lived the role of Patch in Patch Adams and John Keaten in Dead Poets Society.

In Hook, he was the little boy who never grew up. I believe he discovered a little about himself through those he mentored in Good Will Hunting.  Many of his movies challenged me to become that character.  After watching Dead Poets Society, I wanted to become a teacher and teach with the passion of Professor Keaton.

Peter Pan made me want to become a child again.
Patch Adams made me want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Awakenings shed new light on the mind of the mentally ill.

Robin Williams struggled with addiction and depression and a disorder that kept him fighting each day. He was an unselfish human being who rarely talked about his own circumstances, instead masked his own demons by bringing joy to others.

He was my favorite funny man and my all-time favorite actor whom I admired more for his dramatic roles than even his comedy. I've tried to write about the man, a mere mortal man with weaknesses and I can not find the words to articulate my feelings.

I'm certainly not going to judge him.  I know what it is like to hide behind the mask.  I pray for his wife and children who surely knew what his days and nights were really like.  I choose to reflect on the smile that he brought to my face and the laughter that came from deep within my soul making me forget myself if just for an hour or two.  I choose to reflect on the passion in which he played each role and lived his life.

I choose to remember the Robin Williams that we knew and loved both on screen and off screen.