Do You Miss Someone? Reach Out to Them Before It’s Too Late

It seems like just a few weeks back I was writing a blog here about a friend from High School who had passed away. I talked about making sure you lived your life to the fullest and showing the people you love just how much you love them. I didn't expect to be writing something like that again so soon. But when I got word that a close friend who I had lost touch with recently had passed away I couldn't help but to memorialize him and share my feelings about losing touch with people you care about.

In everyone's life there will be people who come and go, it is just a  part of the society we live in today. You will make friends today that 5 years down the road most likely wont be in your life anymore. People move, people change, and life goes on. Thus is the case with me and my good buddy Scott Wheeler (Wheels).

When I met Scott we instantly became best buddies. He was quite a bit older than me, but it seemed like we knew each other forever right away. I was going through a high point in life, and him a tougher spot. Times changed, and rolls switched at one point, and our friendship only grew stronger because we were always there for one another. He gave me a job at the golf course, I gave him a couch to sleep on when he needed it, he threw my 21st birthday party which was one of the best times I've ever had, and taught him how to be a better bowler. We spent a lot of time together, and in the heat of the moment you think those sorts of friendships will last for life. Like I said before, as fast as we became friends, our friendship ended. Wheels found love, got married and moved to Texas. We stayed in touch for a bit, but as lives get busier and you make new friends it's easy to drift apart as Wheels and I did.

One thing we always shared was our love for music. We would spend hours late at night after I closed down the bowling center I managed and just listen to music. There were a few songs that always seemed to come up, and one of those was "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. Wheels would tell me the story of him blasting that song with fellow pro golfer Woody Austin driving down the highway in his younger years. I always associate that song with Wheels, and it happened to play yesterday morning while I was listening to the radio. I thought about Wheels, and I felt the need to reach out to him to see how he was. Later in the day I found out he wasn't so good, not good at all, Wheels had passed away.

I don't know what happened, I honestly don't even know where he was at. What I do know is that it is hard to know that I will never get to see or talk to him again.

Memories are great, but they are nothing like the real thing. So my message to you today is even if it seems awkward or weird to reach out to someone you miss from your past, do it. Do it before it's too late!

R.I.P Wheels, I love ya buddy. This one is for you...