A little vignette about Brendan.I was watching Freddie Mercury Performances with Queen this morning. It's easy for me to see what an amazing performer he was. He brought his entire being on stage with him and expressed it. You could see he wasn't trying to imitate what he saw other bands doing in the '70s. He was just himself.
Then I got to thinking about Brendan and what I loved about him. He didn't care what anyone thought, he was just himself. Unmatched socks? Check. Glass bauble jewelry necklaces? Check. Tie-die tapestry cut up into square pieces for hanging out of his back pocket? Check. Shaving half his head in the middle of the night? Check. Oversized pants? Check. Green shoelaces? Check. He didn't care as long as HE thought it looked good.
I realized early on that there was no trying to "dress" him. I honestly didn't even attempt to give him my opinion about his clothes. I couldn't bear for him to look any other way. One time he told me he was thinking about getting contact lenses again. I only knew him as someone who wears glasses. I liked that sort of geeky look he had wearing them. I asked him not to forego his glasses. That's the only fashion statement advice I offered and he listened to.
When Brendan was kind he was the kindest, when he was irritable he was the most irritable. When he was a jerk he was the jerkiest, when he was loving he was the most lovable. I sincerely believe that is why he had so many friends that adored him. He dared to be himself.
He was a full-on skater who didn't mind when he face-planted and broke his front teeth. He didn't care how many bones in his body he would break trying to perfect a trick. He told me he had broken at least 52 bones while skating. (He broke many of the same bones over and over again). Although it sounds like an over-exaggeration I can completely imagine that it was true.
I always wanted to be a person who was their full-on self like Freddie Mercury, Brendan, and a colleague of mine Josh. All 3 of them are dead now.
I know we all know one person that lives through the entire cells of their being~~body, heart, mind, and soul~~ and expresses it fully, no apologies! Wouldn't it be great if we could all be that same way? Then we would have no regrets on our deathbeds. We would have lived a life that is uniquely ours. We are as different as we are the same. If there is a God, I imagine our fingerprints being the main clue that we are supposed to live from our full individuality, Warts and All (as the Brits would say)