“When One Falls, We All Fall.”

Meet Bobbie Jr. — A.K.A Prozac 1961–2022

You may not have formally met Bobbie K Jr., but we all know him. This is a person you work with, see out in public, meet in passing, or, statistically, is part of your Family. So, you may not have formally met him, but we all know Bobbie Jr. — A.K.A. Prozac.

Bobbies Friends

Bobbie’s work friends called him Prozac because of his personality. You never knew whom you were getting on any given encounter. The Man we thought was a loner had over one hundred people write on his timeline on their company FB page after his passing. Most of the pictures and comments were full of love and respect. Many were funny, and some were sad. There were many tears.

Then there was a sadness in a way that should make us all think. Think about how we treat others. Despite what we may believe, it is very seldom that we really know the inner workings of someone else. Especially what kind of life they lead behind the scenes or when they are left on their own.

It is hard to understand why we don’t see the things we need to see in others. Sometimes we just see what we want to see. Our vision is blurred, our thoughts can be predigested, and we don’t even realize it. We think we are in control but are we? Maybe not as much as we believe we are…

Many times the perception of ourselves is inaccurate. It is one of artificial confidence, self-righteousness, and control. Our thinking can be distorted and even sometimes delusional. It can affect how we view others. Have you ever noticed how easily we can point out other people’s mistakes, compromised thinking, behavior, or actions? When actually, there is little difference between them and any of us.

As a species, we all need food, water, and air to survive. We all want shelter, comfort, acceptance, and love. Oh yes, that acceptance & love part. How do we even begin to provide this part? When we ourselves have failed at this part over and over. Yet, we continue to look at others with a judgmental view.

It’s not what we can teach the Bobbies in our lives; it’s what we can learn from them.

Bobbies twin sister told me that he had made over 2300 of these little crosses. They were flawed and imperfect. Yet, each one was just a little different in its own way. He handed these crosses out to many-many people. Some that he knew and many that he did not know. He would tell everyone that the crosses were just like people, flawed and imperfect. He would then tell them that he made the crosses, but it was up to us to finish them.

We must humble ourselves if we expect to learn, and we must learn if we expect to succeed. Success will always be measured in the love that we show toward others. Especially the ones we perceive to be different from ourselves.

In Alanon, they taught us that we are powerless to change people with addictions. I have come to believe this. What they didn’t teach us is that people with addictions have the power to change us. Often, by the time this happens, it’s too late. This is a conversation to have with yourself right now; today, don’t wait!!

We are entering the season of the year when many people struggle — the holiday season. There are many Bobbies out there, and the holiday season is especially tough for them. So, don’t worry too much about the gifts you need to buy or who may be excited or let down. Instead, make sure you are reaching out to the ones that could be struggling. Check on them, even if it’s no more than a kind word. Make sure they feel the love and that they are included in your life. Help them to feel accepted and wanted in all that you do this holiday season and every season going forward.

We lost Bobbie Jr. in March of 2022. There are many more…

~Forever The Student💔💔

Mark Krauss 2022