This is Nick.
This is the beginning of Nick's dread journey.

This is Nick before dreads. Shit I miss this guy. He was my best friend and so much more.When I needed someone to be there for me, he was the one that showed up. When I was alone and pregnant and nauseous and hungry, he brought me weed and chicken. When I was frustrated with my life, and I needed to get away, he took me to Vegas. When I was angry, and I needed to scream at someone, he was a stoic wall against which I could throw myself. When I was alone, he kept me company. When I was drunk, he kept me from making dumb choices. When I was crying, he could always make me laugh. You know how during an earthquake, they say you should stand in a doorway, since they're less likely to fall down? When my whole life was falling down around me, Nick was my doorway. I could hide under him, and I would always come out unharmed. When I felt like nothing was going right, I could always count on Nick to remind me of the good things. When my first son died, Nick was there reminding me that it wasn't my fault; that I was strong enough to survive. When I was pregnant and my boyfriend broke up with me, Nick was there to help me find a job, and offer me a place to live while I got my life together. Nick was the best friend any person could ever ask for. There will never be anyone else that could replace him. He is an immense loss to the world, and no one who knew him will ever be the same.

RIP Nicky Sampson 07101987/11112011

Three years ago, a good friend of mine started to dread his hair. Back then, I was ignorant and I didn't know what dreading was about. I asked him, and he explained to me that he wanted to be his natural self. He was a lot more philosophical about it, but that's the gist. We spent a year after that inseparable, and his thoughts on dreads spoke to me. I spent some time researching it, and only found information about wax and the like. I wasn't a fan of the idea of smearing beeswax in my hair, so I decided that maybe dreads weren't for me.

I lost contact with my friend in May of '11, and in November I started thinking about him again. I planned to attend his band's first concert, but on November 11th I got really sick. I wanted to remember him, talk to him, think about him. In early December, I learned that he had gotten killed in a car accident on his way home from that concert on November 11th. I wanted to commemorate him somehow, so I planned for a small tattoo, began flying his flag on my boot, wrote songs I knew he would have liked. And yet none of this seemed like it was enough. I began thinking about his dreadlocks again. When he cut them off last year, he gave one to me. I decided I would have dreadlocks, but not JUST for him. I began doing some more research, thinking that if it came down to it, I'd buy the nasty-sounding wax. I found this site, lurked for a while, and decided that tnr was the way for me.

I still have his dreadlock, and I want to sew it into my own so I can always carry his journey with me. RIP Nick. eNVy to the end.