Being active on “the net,” both in blogging, and on various forums, there’s an underlying sentiment that one hears all too often, whenever there’s drama or strife:

“Don’t take it too seriously… it’s only the internet.”

For the most part, that’s true.  When you’re having discussions of a none-too-personal nature with people whom you will probably never meet, it’s easy to adopt (and adhere to) that mantra.  But there are exceptions….

Back in 2003-2004, when I first began blogging, I encountered (in my reading) someone whom I can only describe as a kindred spirit.  He was a guy, close to my own age, out in the same part of the world where I was born and raised (Orange County, CA), with whom I felt an instant connection.  No, no, not some soul-mates/star-crossed-lovers-who-never-met/romantic kinda connection… but a connection nonetheless.  His writing and his sense of humor captivated me, and over time we developed a friendship of sorts, even spoke of getting together when next I visited my family that lived in his area.

As often happens, life intervenes, and I dropped off the blogosphere for a while, only to be ‘reunited’ with “Da Gimpy Pimp” on (of all sites) MySpace.  We’d correspond here and there (he was no longer blogging, nor was I, at this time), and catch each other up on where we were at in live, love, work, and family… If there was one thing that was a given, it’s that any message or IM from him would leave me smiling (if not in fits of hysteric laughter).  It was just part of his innate charm.

I say “was,” because I recently learned of his untimely passing (untimely… I always hate it when people say that — as if any passing is “timely?”).  And yet it seems an appropriate adjective in this situation, because while so many people shuffle around their daily life, barely living, just doing what they have to do to get from one day to the next, James was absolutely living each day, each moment, to it’s absolute fullest.  And so it seems … well… unfair (to say the least) that someone who was absolutely LIVING is no longer … well… living.

So now coming full circle to my point here… about not taking the net (and the people we meet on it) so seriously… The news of James’ passing hit me.  Hard.  I have to thank a friend and co-worker of his (another person I met via the blogosphere, and kept in contact with via MySpace — thank you, Feendizzle) for contacting me, and letting me know of his passing, lest I might never have known, might have just chalked his not responding to my messages as ‘life getting in the way,” or something.

When I learned of his death, and (at Feen’s suggestion) googled his name to see all the tributes to him, all over the ‘net, I actually broke down and cried.  Cried tears for a man I’d never met, but certainly wish I had.  And I’m certain I’m not the only ’stranger’ whom he touched… I’m sure there’s countless people with whom he corresponded, exchanged an occasional IM or email with, who are also deeply affected by this loss.

Rest in peace, James… you are missed.