Norman J. Bissell

I’m writing this for my Norm, myself, and the internet. Funny thing is, we never much liked the internet…

A lot of life is about coming to terms with the duel nature of the world. My Norms life illustrated this beautifully.

He was sentimental, and needed nothing. He didn’t have much but he’d give it to you. A simple man who liked his coffee black, a cat on his lap and a good smoke.

As a young man, he was wild and defiant. I was one and a half when we met, and I loved him right away. He was a character, with a signature look that evolved over time but never strayed from his roots. Small in frame and skinny, he was quite tough and surprisingly strong. Both a hard ass and a softy. As he aged he became stable, consistent, and grounded. I saw a lot of his own dad in him, though he was distinctly his own person.

He felt at peace with animals and nature, though he truly was a homebody. A man of few words, he liked to hear you talk. He was both crotchety and joyful. To know him was to know authenticity. He allowed you space to be your full and flawed self, and took solace in recovering that in turn. Emotive and private, he left nothing unsaid. Norm knew well of the darkness that can haunt the living, but he could also wave it away with a big toothless grin and contagious laugh. Nothing is ever too weighty to laugh at or too sorrowful to appreciate small joys.

Never an exemplary student himself he still taught me math, how to play chess, and shuffle. He was smart though he’d be the first to tell ya “I know nothin’ bout nothin’”.
A reliable hard worker who didn’t value money or success. “Hard work for hard works sake” we’d laugh “I hope someone’s getting rich off this, cause I sure ain’t”.

He was Stormin’ Norman, yet gentle and kind. He’d say the same exact words to you and convey a breadth of concepts. He liked Stargate, Stephen King, and rock and roll, but would happily watch you play a video game, or your show instead…He was easily amused.

I’ll never not love my Norm, for all his strengths and all his weaknesses. I love the wholeness of his being, all that is consistent and all that contradicts. He was mine, and I his. He is gone, yet the love remains. It has been my privilege to be his kid, to know him, be known by him. It is my goal to laugh with him still, about the unfairness of life and the absurdity of the world.

We carry him by living the truths of his wisdoms. We could all be more simple, less expectational, and find peace in small joys.

“Yup yup kid, any day above ground is a good day, you just push onward through the fog”