Travel – Just Under the Surface

Bourdain 01

I never met Anthony Bourdain, but from No Reservations & Parts Unknown and his books, I felt as if I did actually know him and I know I’m not alone in this feeling. He had that swagger and cool way about him that drew so many fans. He was a gifted writer, a unique and genuinely interesting person, always seeking out new adventures, people, music, and cultures. What drove him to keep moving and filming so many shows would be conjecture on my part, but it almost seemed as if he was afraid of slowing down to the kind of quiet introspective life that many people who have the means to do so crave. I never kidded myself into thinking that he was a happy-go-lucky sort – he was a former addict, school of hard knocks kind of guy and carried a world weary vibe that was easy to see but I was still completely stunned when I woke to the news he had taken his own life. I spent the day feeling heavy and sad, which surprised me having not know him – I felt like I’d lost a friend. He was so alive in every sense it seemed to me. I thought I remembered him talking about a dark time in his life after his first marriage fell apart in his book, “Medium Raw,” and when I looked again there it was…a mention of his fighting the urge to end it all, drunk and driving on a curvy island road. Maybe he’d been pushing back the urge for a long time. Maybe the ones who accomplish so much more than most will in an entire lifetime, simply get world weary and burn out of this life. Safe travels Tony…