By Pat Larsen
For Capital Region Independent Media

Life. Changes. No warning. No clues. One minute to the next and the shift comes swiftly.
Subtly, it happens. The wind whispers to the clouds, the clouds drift from near to far sharing the news and the day is then done. Yet, the world continues to turn.
LIFE… ends. LIFE… continues. LIFE… is never quite the same from second to second, but we act as if it never will change or we wring our hands and lose the moments of presence that are the gifts. Then they’re gone, too.
This is how impactful the passing of Bob Beyfuss was to me. I read his last published column recently, grasping for meaning, looking for the hopeful metaphor, hoping it was not what I knew it was… the end. I wanted to hit rewind, go back button, delete and rewrite, but alas I couldn’t escape this reality.
The story about his passing, as shared with me, spoke of the glory of his last moments. My gut reaction was, “Good for you, Bob!”
What I was meaning was something more like, if I could pick how to make my exit from this world, THAT would be pretty high on my list… at the top of the game.
I’ll let that part of the story be for now. His family deserves that bit of privacy. After all, I’m just a stranger to them. A fellow columnist to Bob.
We’d see each other at the local grocer’s. He, always that popular guy who was stopped in every aisle by someone.
People were drawn to him. His quiet demeanor and soft smile always found my eye as I passed by. Always a nod of acknowledgement to each other. A gift really, that he gave to everyone he crossed paths with.
An angel on earth, he was. To be a magician with the soil and the offerings from Mother Earth, he never failed to give his knowledge with such kindness and generosity.
Like most anything that is impactful, the news of his passing was introduced by his image on a social media post. Oh… “Hi Bob” was my acknowledgement as I scrolled aimlessly through Facebook a few days ago… but then I backed up and stared in disbelief as I saw the banner of the tragic news attached to his handsome image.
Nooooooo! Not Bob. But alas, it was his final story. My heart sank, my focus shifted, my thoughts became consumed with the realities of LIFE… the fragility, the message that haunts us all, but we forget to acknowledge.
I will miss you, Bob. I will miss your columns, seeing you around, knowing you through stories. But… I have to also THANK YOU, BOB, for the reminder that LIFE… changes, without warning, with no clues.
The wind will continue to speak of you and share with the clouds, who will then drift off to say someone important and who had a significant role in this time on earth has moved on but taught us many things.
TODAY is the gift…that’s why it’s called the PRESENT. Always remember that. BOB did and left us that reminder.
Pat Larsen lives in Greene County, teaches fitness programs and helps, she hopes, making some kind of impact to those who get stuck in their troubles. Please feel free to contact Pat at pelarsen5@aol.com.