![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMVGT4r5fOAcklZUHcBTRfO0K23JlbjB3jT4oOoxP92q5bZGHyS-NJwzgcUX9KEaeMjO9F1pnOnjC-aabGnMSka2ni-mgi73FXVP8Ux9GBaJiB778_a7vVqbQOMBujH6j5_8zOSuSqGw/s320/208167_10150177916603576_753633575_6998883_4806617_n.jpg)
I miss my friend Howard Hopkins. His sudden and unexpected passing has left a painful void in me.
A day hasn't gone by when I haven't unconsciously expected one of his frequent messages in my email, or find myself reading one of his witty posts on Facebook, or to share a joke, some news, or discuss our own personal troubles. Howard was never a fair weather friend. He was always supportive and a strong shoulder to lean on no matter what.
Some folks say that a remedy for sadness and mourning is to imagine your "Happy Place" in your mind and visit there for a while. I suppose this would be mine.
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And if you can't seem to find your own "Happy Place" when you're feeling down, this is proof positive that sometimes it will come to you.
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My own "Happy Place" visited me when I was a kid, in the unlikely spot of a shopping center parking lot in Louisville, Ky. Plus, it was free, and perhaps was my most awesome day, changing me forever.
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I experienced real magic that day, setting me on the imaginative path I've followed ever since.
Not sure where all this nostalgic meandering is leading to. Nowhere, maybe. I suppose I'm just thinking out loud, keeping myself company, and trying to blanket my pain and loneliness with a warm, thrilling, and life-defining memory.
Yes, I suspect that's all it is. Not too important really, and probably impossible for those uninitiated to fully understand, but Howard would certainly have known exactly what I mean as he walked this same wild and wondrous trail.
Following your Muse is fraught with fears and insecurities. It's not ever easy nor anywhere close to a so-called normal life. But, as Howard and I frequently affirmed to each other regarding normalcy: "Where's the fun in that?"
No doubt about it, all things considered, I've been a very lucky guy. Luckier than most.
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