10:38:46pm 4th of July, 2012.
364 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes since you left.
I could write you a paragraph about how you were one of the nicest people I know and you never had a nasty word to say about anyone but I’m sure you’d be sick of reading that by now. I know you’d appreciate a description of who you are that cuts through all the bullshit, as you always did, and goes straight for the truth.
It goes without saying that you had a beautiful mind, intelligence that garnered you a great deal of admiration from everyone you knew. You were wise beyond your years yet with a youthful sense of curiosity into everything around you. Unfazed by social politics and norms, you lived your life as a true individual, never caving to peer pressure or striving to meet anyone else’s standards. Whether it was blowing your nose with a hanky or wearing clothes I’m pretty sure you’d had since you were ten, you were never going to change to meet some preset social formula and that is one of the things I liked about you most.
You built a remarkable set of goals for yourself and I was sure you’d make everyone of them. You came to the conclusion that you were glad you failed the understanding people section of the umat by one point and didn’t go straight in to med, as it opened up a window of opportunity for you to travel the world after you finished undergrad. That is exactly what you wanted, to see and experience everything. Using a cliché like “living life to the fullest” falls so short when it comes to you. You had amazing prospects ahead of you and you wanted adventure every step of the way.
With a strong constitution, unique wit, outstanding intellect and a knack for excelling in every way possible you had every ingredient to become a powerhouse in your chosen career. One day you would be running a hospital, balancing a family and retreating to your ski lodge in the south of France on the weekends. It is painful to think that this wont eventuate but if I ever make it half as far as you would have I’ll credit you as my inspiration.
I miss your calm and composed voice. Your long sighs and soft hands. My heart still hurts knowing that you’re gone. I love you and I always will, Leon Alexander Bell.
