November 26th, 2018*
Dear Del,
There is a feeling of deep mourning within me. I am sad for the world’s loss today; I am sad that we all lost you today.
I want to ensure that I take the appropriate and respectful amount of time — to honour your life, to take pause, to reflect in silence.
As a writer, and as quite the verbose one, I am surprised now at how very little I have to say… at how much I would love to say, but at how little I want to say as well. I’m not quite sure if that makes sense.
I am surprised at how all my vocabulary is now deeply lacking to express how I feel, at how much it is lacking to appropriately honour your legacy.
I think, if I am to take anything from all of this… If I am to take anything from this reflection on life — on your life — it would be to always be true to ourselves. To inquire. To ask questions. To never settle for less. To be unafraid. To not let arbitrary targets define us. To go searching for answers in the most unlikely of places. To embrace, welcome, and enjoy failure and her lessons, mistakes, muddiness, uncertainties — the process of all things. To never rush the journey.
I am now just at a loss for words.
I hope that with every ounce of who I continue to be, that I will continue to be true to myself, to not worry about conforming, to push boundaries and envelopes, to disrupt, and to ask questions always.
Thank you for everything. It never went un-noticed.
Alex
*I had written this reflection on November 26th, 2018; and had uploaded it here much later, as I had originally written it. It stands here today, unedited. In tribute to Del Harnish. Upload date: December 5th, 2018