“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” (Daphne Rose Kingma)

I read with sadness recent news that another notable teen idol from my childhood, Bobby Sherman, was now struggling in his battle with Stage IV cancer at the age of 81.  Cancer is a beast with tentacles; it tries to wrap itself around every area of one’s life.  

Bobby was another pop stardom zeitgeist from the late 60’s and early 70’s, having risen to the dizzying heights of official heartthrob-dom as an incredibly popular singer with a sweet-sounding voice and respectable acting skills. His songs were chart topping hits that created more fantasy in the minds of teenagers named Julie, as he sang “Julie, Do Ya Love Me?” with the same handsome face that landed him the role of “Jeremy,” the dreamy cowboy loving brother in the television series, “Here Come the Brides.”   

When Hollywood stopped calling, Bobby didn’t nosedive into an existential crisis by trying to chase the dangling carrot of eluding fame; instead, he transitioned into a career of altruism and purpose.  He became a paramedic in the sprawling city of Los Angeles and a volunteer with the LA Police Department, where he served as a medical training officer until 2017.  In 1999, he was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year.  In the years between, he and his wife co-founded a foundation that provides high-quality education and music programs for children in Ghana.  Quite the accomplishment for a man whose toothy grin was once blanketed across the cover of Tiger Beat magazine.  

Bobby became an alchemist in his journey.  He took the best of himself and repurposed it for a fulfilling new chapter.  In cultural idioms, it’s often referred to as “playing the hand you’ve been dealt,” but it’s more than that.  It’s a success that can only be defined from having the inner wisdom and acceptance that life is filled with twisting paths, with new arrows appearing in the bend of its roads, and new adventures to be had.   

It’s a refined dance.  It takes a delicate spin to safeguard your hopes and dreams while accepting what is in the moment.  I once thought of the “scripted life” as appealing; an existence that is defined by a common trajectory that many choose to take as a way of achieving peace and security. As I’ve grown older and experienced my own twists and turns, the concept of the tried-and-true has been abandoned.  While I crave the tranquility that accompanies predictability, I find myself much more attracted to the allure of “what can be…”   

Wishing Bobby peace, love and healing.