Remembering Rick Loucks: A Dear Friend and a Legacy of Kindness
A life well-lived has come to an abrupt end
“Ugly bastard next to a pretty hole in the ground” — Rick Loucks (his quote on this Facebook photo of himself in the Badlands, here in Alberta)
See that guy up there? The one with the giant smile? Yeah, that guy. And I can promise you, his heart was even bigger than that smile. In fact, his capacity for kindness was even bigger than that “pretty hole in the ground.”
And that kindness touched my life and my heart at an especially tender time, giving me a taste of what was possible. If only I had believed in it…
It was impossible not to notice the quiet, funny, nice-looking boy in my 8th grade class. We didn’t interact much — barely at all, really. He hung out with some of the cool, smart kids, while I was an outsider, as much a black sheep at school as I was at home.
So I was more than a little surprised when one day, he slipped me note that said, “Will you go around with me? Check yes or no” with the appropriate boxes underneath.
Ah, that sweet phrase from the Dark Ages — “go around with” — I’m sure it’s been dead for centuries but that’s how…
