Man on Wire

I'm going to have to see this documentary.

It's connected to a very intense time for me.  In August of 1974, my mom, sister, and I were visiting my dad's family in Kansas.  He hadn't joined us, as he'd burned up most of his vacation recovering from Monday mornings after.  He'd given over much of his life to his alcoholism again, after a brief respite following an accident which had robbed him of the use of one eye.  The resulting loss of depth perception had left him incapable in the one area in which he still clung to a fading pride, his athletic ability, so the bourbon was the only remaining consolation he could embrace.  While we were away, he ended the misery that he considered his life to be.  It would be another couple years before I'd learn he'd committed suicide, that his "cerebral hemorrhage" was caused by the rapidly moving 22-caliber slug that he'd jammed into a chamber because mom had removed the clips from his guns.  I imagine she'd probably taken the boxes of ammo away, too, but must've missed a bullet somewhere.

So that's the emotional context into which this unusual event fits for me.  I have a vague feeling that we were back home when this extremely high-wire "crime" made the news, but I can't recall the exact date of dad's death - I suppose I have a memorial prayer card around here somewhere, which he would have hated; I never heard this hopeless man allow for any possibility of the existence of God - so I don't remember for sure where I was.  Now I'm probably going to be looking up other news events of that month, though.

This is the second time this year that a news event from the time of one of my parents' deaths has been recalled to my attention.  Maybe this happens to other people all the time, but it's very unusual for me.