If ignorance is bliss then I was extremely happy to have only a vague awareness of this lovely man named Benedict Cumberbatch. I had seen him in the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and thought he gave a great performance but admittedly didn't give him much thought after that, until the buzz began that is. It started out very low but quickly went from hardly discernible to an unavoidable roar. Benedict Cumberbatch was slated to play the baddie in the next Star Trek movie Into Darkness.
I was intrigued to say the least. Even more so when I learned that through hard work and with the help of his dear friend and trainer/renaissance man Patrick Monroe, Benedict had bulked up for the role. Wait, Patrick Monroe ? The Patrick Monroe AKA PNut ? The one who is also very much an inspiration and responsible for Tom Hardy's amazing traps in Batman: The Dark Knight Rises ?! I knew that even though I had not seen the first Star Trek movie, I had to see this one.
As soon as I saw him the feelings were instantaneous. There he was on the big screen, utter perfection. The man who would cause me to go from cruising down the road at about 55 not really knowing much about him to slamming on the brakes, taking a sharp right and flying at 100 miles an hour into the open arms of The Cumber Collective. Suddenly I was on Tumblr, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
The more I read about him, whether they be someone else's words or his own, the more I liked him. He may call himself impatient and unorganized but he also cares about what's going on in the world and he doesn't shy away from speaking about it. He loves to read and wants to write and paint and do it all now.
He reminded me of things that were once important to me, things that had fallen by the wayside somewhere along the way. I started to pay more attention to the world, I remembered my voice and more importantly I remembered that there were dreams to be chased, a life to be lived and that I am so much more than just any one thing.
Patrick Monroe once said to me via Twitter, "The only failure that exists is the failure to learn from all things." This life, always has been and forever shall be my textbook. So here I am, writing, a bit in awe of myself I must admit. How does this story end ? Why this story, this beautiful story is just beginning. It is being written in whispers, in shouts, in loud raucous laughter, in contemplation and yes, even in the occasional tear. I will write, revise and perhaps erase but I will always begin again.
Such is the influence of a man. This Benedict Cumberbatch, who never fails to awe us, delight us and inspire greatness.
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