2008-07-08

Do It For Spencer

Over the weekend, we lost another one of the good'uns.

My friend Spencer passed away, after a two-year battle with breast cancer. I wasn't surprised by the fact that I was surprised to hear that she'd even been ill. That was Spencer. She lived in the moment, didn't whine, didn't have much use for whiners as a rule.

She worked here at the theatre for a stretch. She was so dry and so funny and we knew a lot of the same people, so I would frequently lose track of time hanging out with her, and my gay boyfriend, in their general area.

Now she's gone, and I can hear her cool, vaguely-gravelly voice so clearly, and I can't quite believe it. I'm grateful to have known her, glad that she's no longer in pain, but I would boil my hands for five more minutes just to talk to her.

Jon sent me an email this morning, in sympathy. He commented that it seemed to be a rough year so far. And he's right: it has been. But it's also been a pretty amazing one. We lost Keith, and now we've lost Spencer. But Keith's passing brought so many old friends back into my life, and I suspect that Spencer's memorial service will do the same for many others.

People leave because it's just their time to go, or because we push them away, or because they never should have been in your orbit to begin with. But if you're lucky, you find out that no matter how long you've known certain other people in your life, loss will invariably present the opportunity to grow even closer to them.

And I am lucky. I am. So lucky.

Spencer was about living with enthusiasm. This morning some of my coworkers and I were all up in arms over the existence of something called "Mo's Bacon Bar." It's chocolate and bacon. And with all due apologies to you vegematarians out there, I frankly think it sounds completely awesome. I have volunteered to go out and purchase one, and even if there are no other takers, I'M going to go there. Because Spencer would totally have eaten it, or at least dared ME to eat it. So tomorrow is "Do It For Spencer" Day, and that applies to everything from eating a bacon-filled candy bar to listening to Mission of Burma to remembering to be grateful for the people who are still here.

lisamcc at 3:54 p.m.

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