Tonight, the Discovery Channel is going to air the last episode of "The Deadliest Catch" with Captain Phil Harris. I've been watching this show since it began 6 seasons ago. My old roommate in college and I would watch the show every week, it was an event. We loved the extreme conditions, extreme work and extreme people.
Captain Phil was someone that I never actually knew, but had the awesome experience of meeting once. Captain Phil, of "The Deadliest Catch" fame, was in Albany Oregon a little more than a year ago doing some promotions surrounding a coffee brand he was selling, random, right? A friend that my roommate and I know had heard that Captain Phil was going to be in Albany and of course we raced to the store where he was going to be. Of course we got there too late to do the meet and greet and autograph session. But that didn't stop us from standing around watching everyone else meet him and talk with others. We bought the coffee and commemorative mug too.
We got news that there was going to be a showing of that nights episode at a theater in town. So, we got some pizza and beer and headed to the showing. We waited out in the drizzly weather, filed in to the small space filled with people of every different type, and found some prime spots for the showing. Moments later, who sits in the row in front of us? None but Captain Phil himself! He was there with his son, Jake and what appeared to be some other friends. We tried not to freak out, but wanted to squeal with delight. None of us wanted to hound them and ask for one more autograph or picture as people had been doing all day. We we sat there in ecstatic silence. My friend, Emily got enough courage to ask for a picture and boy did I kick myself for not asking too! It was an experience to remember to begin with and now that he is gone, it is something really special.
These last couple weeks as they have been advertising the last few episodes with him, I've found myself profoundly more sad than I ever thought I would be. I think it hits me because he wasn't just some character on a show, but a real person, who appeared to live with transparency and for others. He had a family, friends and a full life.
I ran across this quote from him that really stood out to me as rather poignant. It is in reference to his children.
“I don’t know if there’s one lesson, but in general, if I died tonight and was gone, I hope they’d have the integrity to do what they say, be honest, and do honest work for an honest wage and not short change themselves or anyone else. To be honest about how they live and work. Don’t sidestep things or try to cut corners. Do an honest hard job, and do it to the best of their ability.”
This type of thing reminds me of some people I've lost and some really painful feelings. However, it serves as a wonderful reminder. A reminder, seeing those shots of him lying in a hospital bed, of what life really is about. Or, of what life is not about. That in the end it's not all about those things that we work so hard for. It's about the memories, what we choose to do with our time, about those relationships we build. That what we should be working so hard for is to live, to enjoy what this life has and those who we share it with.
Check this out,
Farewell to our Capt. Phil
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