Hello friends!
This morning in hot tub at pool decided to try and retrieve the actor/writer/performance artist Spalding Grey, who went missing middle of January and was dragged up from the river that the Staten Island Ferry crosses about ten days ago. As he'd been expressing suicidal urges since a car accident in Ireland about three years ago, most of his friends were convinced he'd jumped in from the ferry weeks ago. I read about his body being found in saturday's Globe and Mail (toronto paper). I am a big fan of his, loved his movies "Swimming To Cambodia" and "Monster in a Box", so thought I was doing him a favour.
Found him in F23 (no surpirze there), sitting hunched over and looking gloomy. This was only about two hours ago and already the details are fading. Using his trademark greeting "Spalding man! Spalding man!" (from Swimming to Cambodia)I acted cheerful and chatty. Told him I was a fan and wanted to help out. Intellectually I think he knew there must be an afterlife but didn't realise his state of heart/soul would define his location/landscape. In that foggy grey area of F23 he seemed to be living on remorse and memories. I asked him what he thought of the society of aquatic life at the bottom of the river.
Can't recall his answer. After cracking some wiseass remarks, the kind he used to use in his own work, I grabbed his hands and got him up to play the children's game "ring around the rosie" You know, "A-tishoo A-tishoo, we all fall down", dancing around in a circle and then falling backwards and laughing hysterically? That seemed to loosen him up a bit. Knowing he'd always been affected by his own mother's suicide when he was a kid and feeling his remorse at leaving his own kids behind, I asked if he'd like to go to a part of the afterlife where he could meet his mother and learn how to hook up with his kids. Worthiness issues came up, and also a bit of doubt (ie. are you who who say you are?) I tried to convince him by joking around rather than being serious. I think others had been by before me, but he'd dismissed them either as fantasies or pests. Finally got him to hold my hands and accept the fact that we'd be changing dimensions. Told him to shut his eyes, but he kept opening them and peeking! Told him the journey might be disorienting if he kept them open. He liked teasing me on this issue.
Anyway we got to F27, the Park and he seemed mighty impressed. Told him he should just walk around and meet people, that there were lots there like him, not to worry, that nobody would really give a toot how he got there. Told him the food was really good, absolutely the best sushi ever. Then explained how he could image his family here and visit by expressing the desire to do so and then come back to the Park by imaging it. Warned him not to get caught up in family emotions or he'd get stuck like a ghost. Give him a big hug, which he seemed to enjoy and told him I'd be back to help out if he needed it. The kind of pushed him away with my hand, kind of like "on you go, get started now!" and disappeared.

cheers for now: gordon

Gordon,

Thanks for sharing your great retrieval story. Your use of humor was a good choice to get through to him.

Bruce