¶ Family, Love, and Loss
Hello everybody , welcome to the Cologne podcast .
I'm Mike , I'm Ryan . We're two best friends and family , yes , and we're typically going on a fragrance journey spelling fragrances , but we're taking a more serious , sobering moment with you guys . Just to talk about real life for a second .
Yeah , we had planned to do a Patreon live this Friday , the first , and we're really excited for that , and that's still going to happen at a later date .
Yeah , we're rescheduling that . We'll get with you guys on Patreon about that , but to give you guys a little backstory .
You all kind of know about it because we've talked about it on the podcast before and people have given me encouragement , thank you . My father had a stroke in December of last year . He was somewhat improving .
He lost the ability to walk on his own and was having severe short-term memory issues and a lot of confusion was not fun and we're still steadily working , always behind the scenes Mike knows it's like a release for me to you know , do episodes still ? So ? We're , we do them . Yeah , and Mike's been supportive . He's him . He's visited my dad and everything .
He's been great . Talk trash about me to him .
Of course , yeah , it kept him smiling .
Yeah , but however , he had a second stroke , I guess a couple of weeks back or a week back , and he got hospitalized and it was pretty severe , I guess , the damage they had done . The first one kind of hit like his left part of his brain and it you know it messed up the right side of his body pretty much completely .
He had muscle strength , he just didn't have any coordination . And then the second one hit the back right part of his brain and that had to do with like balance and he was obviously confused as well .
He was in the hospital , me and my brother were taking shifts , staying up there with them , and then , I guess during my shift or handoff to my brother , he had a third stroke and this one was the one that kind of did him in . He's still alive but it has forced our hand , unfortunately , into hospice .
So in the meantime this is going to kind of put this on delay for just a little bit we're still going to do episodes and we still plan on doing the live . It's just going to be a minute while we kind of gather things , because my dad is also part of Mark's family , so it's tough for him to and he's dealing with it .
And even though , like you said , he is alive not to be more of a graphic , but he is on his way out . Very much so , yes , and this is your story .
So I'm , you know I'm not going to tap into much of it , but basically all the time that we have right now is the only time that we have left , and so , even if Ryan would push to come do something , in my heart of hearts , I wouldn't feel in good conscience about even making this any bit of a priority .
I know you guys understand and appreciate everything , but the point being is that there's so much going on that , you know , we've always kind of committed to being extremely transparent and authentic , and so this is the attempt to do that , but also just saying we love you .
The podcast didn't go in anywhere , but obviously anybody would take this time to be present , especially Ryan .
Yeah , for sure . So we're taking for sure this week coming off and then the following week , Mike , you're going to Milan , which I went ahead and told him .
When I found out the news I was like , no matter what , yeah , this was even before the really hard news came that you were just like you go ahead , and obviously I'm conflicted with that . But I also know that checking in with you and including you in that type of stuff is like a needed break from some of the seriousness around here as well .
So for sure , we're trying to put a silver lining around as much as we can .
And I'll be okay , michael will be okay and we'll be back for sure , full blown , whatever , once everything settles here , I promise you we'll be at it . I do want to say a big thanks to my dad . He dedicated a lot of his life to being just a really great person .
He was super witty yeah , very sarcastic I get any of my humor from him and I don't ever know how to shut it off just like he was . He was very caring to everybody , very impersonable , a lot more attractive than me .
Actually , even the nurses when they came in just a couple of nights ago when he was kind of still , you know , alert , and before he had thirst for it . They're like man , he is a handsome man . I was like if I was there , they'd be like God , get this guy .
He's not even related right .
Yeah . So he was a very sharp guy . He very musically talented , had only an eighth grade education , worked his ass off Him and my brother built houses together for years . He retired from it . My brother still builds houses , but he had just a great guy . And honestly , this I mean not to say he started it for my , but for my side of it , my journey .
I would not be here on doing this show if it was not for him . That man laced me up with fragrances even in kindergarten , obnoxiously , I mean by proxy .
He got me into it because you got me into it yeah . So , yeah , such a wonderful guy . One thing I would just say is like he was incredibly proud of you , ryan , you could see that , and I would jokingly say that he was so proud of your brother for being a hard worker and he was so proud of you for being so intelligent .
You never had to work hard Because he . That was one thing you could get him talking about just how super intelligent Ryan is , because he knows how to work the Google machine . Yeah , yeah , my brother hates that , but you know , even when I would visit and Ryan wasn't there that's a surefire way to get him to smile is to talk about Ryan man .
He was so is so proud of you and you could always see that . So it was such a pleasure getting to know him and getting to be part of his family , because he is probably the sweetest , most gentle guy with impeccable timing . He'd get to it about as slow as molasses , but could Lord use .
But he always had something pretty funny to say and anytime I was around him it was such a wonderful time . So it has been quite an honor to just get the time that I was able to share with him as well .
I appreciate what I know is coming with him and everything else . I'm going to have a huge hole in my heart and life is definitely not going to be the same . Mike knows this , but none of you know this . You know my mother had Parkinson's for 20 some odd years .
My dad helped with her all that he could , yeah , but when she got really bad and had to be long term care and like a nursing home , I don't even think he was allowed , but yeah , he never stayed the night at his house again .
Yeah , and luckily in the same facility that the rooms are in my size , they rolled a bed in or a recline , a sleeping recliner , sleep and recliner .
Yeah , at 80 years old , he never slept in his house again . He stayed with my mom for the few years she had left up until she passed . I was with him and my brother when my mom passed in hospice as well , and , ironically enough , dad's in the room next to where she passed .
Yeah , and that's just how it worked out , but he sacrificed literally his body for her .
Other than his great witty sense of humor .
I would say one of the greatest qualities that he passed down Obviously you see it in Don , but I see it in you is like you were saying , cletus was such a loyal man , very loved , very deeply and cared with ever fiber of his being , and that's part of why I love you so much , ryan , is that you have unshakable loyalty and it's clear you get that from your
dad .
He was just an amazing human being and , you know , I wish everybody in life could , could have somebody like that in their life growing up , and I'm going to miss it . And , guys , we obviously apologize and for this inconvenience for the time being .
It will be short lived and we will get back to it and I appreciate you guys being here for us , listening to us . I know that you guys will understand and we love you all very much and I just encourage you all to be as close as you can with your loved ones and cherish it .
¶ Remembering a Loved One
I promise you , when somebody you care about is going , nothing matters Politics , you know , bullshit , fights , whatever you know , it doesn't matter and you're just thankful for this time that you have coexisted with another human being just as great as them , and you all just equally share this weird blip that just happens and I hope you all can experience something
just , you know , amazing as I have , because I have to be thankful and I'm not afraid of where he's going and I can't wait to see him again .
Yeah , we love you all very much and you know , we just ask that , if you're the praying kind , that you send a few out for , obviously , ryan , his siblings , my side of the family just know that all the things that you've come to love about this podcast and about Ryan that he came about it honest , because he had a great meaningful relationship with his dad
and he rubbed off , and so all the things that make you smile about what we do I would say that he's somewhat responsible .
Yeah , absolutely , and we love you guys . We'll see you guys here in a week or two and until next time , you know what it is .