On the opening page just after the dedication in the wonderful book, Robin, by Dave Itzkoff, there is this magical line:

The creative adult is the child who survived.

This book is a biography of Robin Williams, one of my favorite actors of all time.

His story is tragic/heroic. Tragic in that he threw away many of his closest relationships in pursuit of drugs, alcohol, and being unfaithful. Heroic in the sense that he applied his extraordinary improvisational and acting talents in remarkably touching and hilarious ways.

I think the key to his heroic self was keeping the child in him alive.

The key to his tragic self was not keeping the child in him in check.

It’s a tricky balancing act. One that requires on-going attention from all of us.