Farewell, Ziggy Goblin King

This morning, I woke up and began to rue the day I put the "Breaking News" app on my phone. The first thing I read this morning at 5am was that David Bowie had died, just two days after his 69th birthday. I haven't been able to shake the "SAD" since. The interwebs are filled with tributes and love, and we all know what we, the world, have lost.

I grew up with David Bowie all over the radio, television, movies, et al.. he expressed himself with his very existence. He was a work of art. His genuine embrace of his own "weirdness" gave so many people permission to do the same. He was brilliant, deep, and from all indications, a truly kind human being. Whatever creative endeavor he shared, we were enthralled with it, and with him.

He was able to reach across generational, political, cultural, and color lines because he blurred all of them with his presence. He was androgynous, beautiful, handsome, shiny, and unique.

On a day like today, we would say that the world is a little dimmer, but in truth, the night sky is filled with his starry presence and in his passing, he shines on brightly.

My favorite quote for today comes from Simon Pegg's twitter account:

"If you are sad today, just remember that the world is over 4 billion years' old, and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie."

Yes, we are all the better for his having been here. I am reminded of the poem by Marianne Williamson in which she says,

 "... and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"

That is just one of the many gifts that David Bowie gave us. We will miss our Ziggy Stardust Goblin King Man Who Sold the World, but we also know that he left a legacy and impact that so few of us will ever be able to do, all just by embracing who he was.

May his adventures continue to enthrall and embrace the next world he inhabits.