This week a good friend, whom I have never met, passed away unexpectedly at only 56 years old. He was Bob "Bawb" Varley of the DISUnplugged Podcast.
Some of you know that I listen to this podcast religiously every week. I listen to its archives in between because it's so hard to wait. I have laughed and cried and laughed again listening to the six members of the Podcast team. They were good friends who enjoyed the time they spent together, even though it was their "job."
I can't explain to anyone why I would cry over a person who did not know I existed. (I cried when President Hinckley died, and I never met him either.) In many ways, though, I knew Bob personally because of the way he let his listeners into his heart.
Another listener wrote a blog post that was spot on. Here's the link, if you're interested.
Click here
This was also a good reminder to me that life is unexpected. Good and bad things can happen anytime. Do it now, whatever it is.
Thank you, Bawb. I hope you can finally meet Walt and enjoy a Dole Whip together.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Bawb
Posted by Beth Soelberg at 5:20 PM
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5 comments:
I promise I won't say you are crazy. I mean they are your friends. They have read how many of your comments/questions on air? I think it is okay to cry over someone's death whom you admire. Whether it is a familiy member, friend, or someone you have never actually met but know well. By the way what is a Dole Whip?
A Dole Whip is a popular dessert available at the Magic Kingdom (in Adventureland) and, I think, at the Polynesian resort. It's basically pineapple ice cream. I have a recipe and I'm going to try and make one at home sometime, when I have the time and the appetite.
Thanks for not thinking I'm nuts.
I heard the Dole Whip is only sold at the Tiki Room in Magic Kingdom and Disneyland- and somewhere in Hawaii. (But you would know better) This podcast sounds interesting- I'll have to check it out... will it continue without him?
Nikki - You might be right! I haven't researched the Dole Whip phenomenon too deeply; I have a recipe to try and make one at home and I figured I'd hunt one down somehow the next time I was at WDW.
I really enjoy this podcast. When I first started listening I wondered why they had Bob on at all. He was constantly mangling the English language, and sometimes had big pauses between sentences, but the more I listened the more I became Imaginary Friends with all of them. Bob is something like my grandfather - they share their best qualities - and he'll be missed.
I think the podcast will continue sometime, when the crew is ready to move on with it. It's always full of good information (rumors, news, restaurant reviews, etc.) and you can tell that the crew are all genuine friends.
Try it out!
I think we all need a reminder now and then of just how precious life is. It's easy to just get so busy and caught up in silly things that we forget how fragile our lives and the lives of those around us really are. I'm grateful for your thoughts.
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