Coaches on the Edge Find Fame Fleeting and Somewhat Fatal.

elizabeth: They seem to be dropping… like from an 8^th floor balcony to their knees with organs past their expiration date And they will always be frozen between the beginning of manhood and the end of a dream because they found life in the fast lane to have fatal flaws all of its own. Freedom Writers

One was too young to be on his own with demons floating in and out his psyche during his waking and sleeping hours, and the other was left alone for too long while too young as the devil in a suit snatched his innocence. One left a note saying he could not take not having friends any more; the other one never got a chance to rewrite his life’s screenplay. Fame can kill you. And we seem to be dying to get some of that for ourselves.

Laurie: There does seem to be a constant theme lately – quitting. Whether it’s politics or life, the road seems too hard to walk. I have a theory. In this super-stimulated world that we live in, we have managed to circumvent feelings. Had a disappointment or a loss? Take this pill. Feeling lonely? Plug into your computer and chat with a total stranger who is probably nothing like what he/she says they are. Don’t want to think about the latest disappointment? Play a mind-numbing game, rent a video, go on YouTube, surf the Internet – do whatever you have to do in order to not think or feel. God forbid.

elizabeth: Do we call it suicide by choice when someone abuses his body, mind and soul with excessive amounts of alcohol, nicotine and drugs and hanger-ons who feel empowered and omnipotent by sucking the life out of their host?

Laurie: Call it an epidemic. Suddenly suicide has become part of the multiple choices for how you live your life.

elizabeth: What do we do with the gentle souls that walk among us? How many of us are survivors of suicide attempts? Being 18 can be the worse and sometimes it feels like it can or will suck the life out of you if you look away for a minute. Some of us are walking around because we were simply stupid when it came to successful suicide attempts. I would hope that most of us are grateful for our suicidal sloppiness. I hope Michael Blosil finds peace where they was none in his earthly life

Laurie: Gentle souls, unite! I don’t think anyone has told you but life is difficult. It’s filled with ups and downs, good times and bad times, luck and misfortune. And all of that is just a part of the game. We all are going through it at one time or another. The difference lies in how you deal with it. It really is okay to feel bad. It makes you appreciate the good. And it also spurs you on to improve your situation. And yeah, although I hate the phrase, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (or as we like to say “edgy”).

elizabeth: One thing that made me feel sick was how one of Corey Haim’s friends (I question the term friend here) showed how they were selling his sneakers and worldly possessions on eBay so they can pay to bury Corey. Not one of those rich people out there that made millions off his back could afford to write a check so that he could finally have some dignity in his after life? Not one of you? You know what? I was a generation before Corey and his movies but it makes me sad that he was thrown away. He did it himself you might argue, but those who knew him left the door opened so he could evolve into the ultimate Lost Boy.

Laurie: Everybody wants a part of fame. Admit it. The Coaches on the Edge have to raise their hand as they bug Oprah every Wednesday to put them on the cover of O Magazine. It’s great to be recognized and appreciated and yeah, even adored. But it all starts from inside. You can sign autographs until the cows come home and weigh down your neck with gold chains that sparkle and glow, but if you don’t think you’re worth it, what’s the point? Hard lesson – some get it, most don’t. Gotta run and see if Oprah left a message.