There’s a lot going on right now, and much of it’s really pretty great. I have some funny things to share, and general news, and Halloween pictures. But it just feels weird to share all of that without also sharing that a friend of mine died this past weekend.
Dano was my friend. He was a fellow runner and even though I wasn’t as close to him as a lot of people I know, it didn’t take much to figure out that he was a truly amazing human being – someone I always looked forward to seeing, and someone who added to the lives of everyone he came into contact with. He came across much of the time as a smart-ass … and I liked that about him. But underneath it (and not very far underneath if you took any time at all to look) he was a coach, a philosopher, an adventurer, a warrior … and just a damn good friend.
And here’s the thing. I’m sad. Of course I’m sad. And yet that’s not the overwhelming emotion I keep feeling. Because sad is just not a word I associate with Dano. Even though he’d been sick for a while now – battling ALS – Dano’s spirit was anything but sad. And so sad just doesn’t seem like the right way to feel.
Honestly, I keep going to back to this post I read a few weeks ago. I love The Bloggess … her website is one of my favorites, and can always be relied on to have me laughing hysterically. But this post was about losing two people she cared about in the same week. And instead of just curling up in a ball of misery as most of us would be inclined to do, here’s her reaction:
“You might think that this would push me over the edge into an irreversible downward spiral of xanax and Regina Spektor songs but no. It’s not. I’m fucking done with sadness, and I don’t know what’s up the ass of the universe lately but I’ve HAD IT. I AM GOING TO BE FURIOUSLY HAPPY, OUT OF SHEER SPITE.
Can you hear that? That’s me smiling, y’all. I’m smiling so loud you can fucking hear it. I’m going to destroy the goddamn universe with my irrational joy and I will spew forth pictures of clumsy kittens and baby puppies adopted by raccoons and MOTHERFUCKING NEWBORN LLAMAS DIPPED IN GLITTER AND THE BLOOD OF SEXY VAMPIRES AND IT’S GOING TO BE AWESOME.“
I love this. If ever there was someone whose life deserved to be celebrated, it’s Dano. Furiously happy. Maybe that’s not quite the right emotion here, but it feels close.
That’s a nice way to honor him.