Exactly one week ago, at the impressive age of 91, Ray Bradbury left us for another dimension.
His was a name I grew up with. My father always listed him as one of his favorite authors. When I was a bored teenager my dad would tell me to go to the library and read Bradbury's short stories. "They're the best" he'd tell me. And he was right. I remember being put off, at first, when my dad told me he wrote science fiction. That didn't appeal to me. Luckily, my dad knew me, and recognized Bradbury's excellence, and he persisted, so I listened to him.
Reading Bradbury is a decision I've never regretted.
I Sing the Body Electric! helped me cope with a difficult time in my life, and it's one of my heart's most treasured books. I don't remember where my copy came from. It's old, probably considered vintage; the pages are yellowing, slightly stained, and coming up from the binding in some parts. I'll never get rid of it. I'll read it to my children.
Something tugged at my heartstrings when I heard Mr. Bradbury had died. His thoughts and ideas about the present and future always lined up so well with mine. A sort of melancholy excitement; a desire for the best, but an awareness that things could end up terribly crooked. I always admired him, especially for never going to college and still achieving an eminence in his career field. What a cool, passionate man!
He's one of the few, true authors that has touched my deepest thoughts. I'm grateful to have so many of his words at my fingertips to enjoy throughout the rest of my life.
"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds.
See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made
or paid for in factories."
