I wanted to write this morning just to get some feelings out. First I want to reflect a little bit on the life of Dori Monson, a beloved talk show host that I had come to know pretty intimately on Kiro. When I say I knew Dori Intimately, I mean I got to know a lot about his personal life that he shared on air. He came from a different time, so listening to him took me back to a time before all the craziness. A place where people spent time together, spent time outside and played sports with their buddies, or went on long fishing trips just to be out on the water and take in the beauty of nature. Dori would tell a lot of stories on air; stories about his family, his beloved daughters, his producer Nicole(who was like another daughter to him), the girls on his basketball team, who he would coach and mentor on and off the court. Although he spent a lot of time talking about the horrors of Sound Transit and would never forget to remind us of how they were over time and over budget. I don't like to dwell on politics, mostly because I don't really care for any politician because I think they're all dishonest and have their own interests at heart; but Dori had a way of talking politics while including the 'why' of the situation. Like Why we should care about the policies being enforced. The reason 'why' is because Dori cared about people. He cared about families that are struggling, businesses that are just trying to contribute and add heart, love and soul to communities... And this is why Dori was such a watchdog of government, because he wanted to protect these families, businesses and people from the policies that hurt them. Dori always added passion, soul and laughter to his show. I loved it when he would refer to politicians as "dopey" and call them out for their bafunery. He would make fun of himself at times to, referring to himself as a dopey character with a girly name. It's these little things that added so much to his show, and made me think of him as a friend from afar. He was a great advocate for women, as he coached womens basketball, and would take women like Brandi Cruz and his producer Nicole, under his wing as they climbed the ladder of their careers. He believed in the autonomy of people, and that people should be independent of government and make a life for themselves instead of relying on government to carry them. And he very much believed and rooted for the Underdog. Over the holiday, Brandi Cruz filled in for him, as she often did when he was out fishing in Alaska or in Vegas(two of his favorite places to take a break and refresh his soul), and I was excited to have him back in January when I heard the news of his untimely death. There are a lot of details about Dori that I could add to this post, but the overall message I wanted to share with you all today is the way we impact each others lives; even those we've never met before but have come to know from a distance. I guess this week has been pretty reflective for me, not just because of Dori's passing, but just reflecting on how people in my life have meant to me. Dear friends that I've come to miss, either because they moved away or because the friendship isn't what it once was. It's hard to say goodbye to people that have impacted our lives and meant a lot to us. It's hard to experience loss in all its forms... and that's one thing that hardens us as we get older, the acceptance that life is full of many losses and saying goodbyes. Dori reminded me of some of the people in my own life and reminded me that I should spend more time with them while I still can. But the silver lining of life and loss is that we all impact each others lives in such a way that even when we lose someone we carry a piece of them with us forever. What are your thoughts on life and loss? What does it all mean to you? Take care friends <3
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