Dan Lewk - Remembered

Six months ago today our friend Dan Lewk celebrated his 59th birthday. Nothing about Dan seemed to be pushing 60. An incredible athlete, energetic actor, and exuberant adventurer, Dan had a lust for life.

Weeks after his birthday he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Yesterday I attended his memorial service.

If you had been sitting with me, you too would have heard about a man who lived fully. He was an all-star athlete. Everyone had a story about trying to keep up with Dan in tennis, golf, or football. Tale after tale about his incredible athletic prowess, surpassed only by his sportsmanship and generosity on the field, court or course. If you weren't as athletic as Dan, and few of his friends were, he was happy to teach, coach, and encourage you, before he beat the pants off of you.

Dan loved to play. He was a big kid in many ways, and helped everyone he loved find the child within themselves. When he suggested to his best pal that they take six weeks and go fishing one summer Gary retorted, "People don't do that." "Why NOT?" asked Dan. Lacking a valid argument Gary found himself fly fishing in Sun Valley Idaho. And so began their decade long tradition of six week vacations every summer. Time and time again people spoke of the impact Dan had on their life. He taught them so much about love, joy, laughter and Spirit, and thinking in ways that were unconventional.

He was always pulling pranks to get a laugh, but the joke was never "on you" as much as it was "with you". Even in comedy he was inclusive. Helene Zuckerman said one of her fondest memories of Dan was being in improve class with him. He would set her up seamlessly for the big laugh, never stealing the spotlight for himself. A class act. I saw Dan's one man show - "Who is this coward and how did he get into my life" and I've never laughed so hard as that night. Dan's writing was sharp and he's one of the best at physical comedy that I've ever seen.

With his talent, good looks, chiseled physique and sense of timing Dan had what it takes to really "make it in this town". But though he did write and direct his own movies, experienced the thrill of premiering at Sundance and even had one of his stories turned into a feature film, Dan never considered himself a success. Measuring himself against the external things that trap so many of us - size of our house, make and model of our car, number of zeros in our 401ks, he struggled with his sense of accomplishment.

What Dan forgot, as many of us do, is that when all of the unimportant is stripped way - and most of what we worry about is unimportant - what will matter is: how deeply we loved, how much we laughed, how we inspired others, how gently we walked on the earth, cared for animals and children, how generous we were even when things weren't easy for us, how much we risked and how fully we lived.

Thankfully, with the help of his friends, and especially his beloved Minda, Dan remembered all this before he died. He remembered that he is the embodiment of Source. That he is Love and Joy incarnate.

Sometimes death is the greatest healing of all. I encourage you to take time to remember who you really are, before you reach the end of this chapter of your adventure.