Friday, September 11, 2009

Rest In Peace

The local community and outdoor adventure world lost a great man. Dear friend and outdoor junkie, Duncan Boyle died suddenly at the age of 52. He was a kind and wonderful man and I will think of him fondly. Many ridiculously early mornings were spent in the pool with Duncan and he was the first person to sign on to help or participate in any and every endeavor of mine since I was a child.

I will miss him and I know the community will miss him. My thoughts go out to his wonderful family. On a day like this, when we are already remembering the losses suffered, it is important to appreciate those we do have in our lives.

On NPR this morning, a Father was recounting his final conversation with his son, a NYC firefighter just as he was leaving to assess the damage when the first plane hit. When asked if he had any regrets, he said, "No, I have none. How many people can you say that your last words to them before they died were 'I love you' and their final reply to you was 'I love you'."

I suppose it's fitting that on a day of mourning, it is raining outside. Each time I have suffered a loss, it has been raining. Maybe it's overly simplistic to make such an observation - a dark, dreary day makes one contemplative - but it is apt. It poured the day in July that I said my final goodbye to West and it only seems right that it should be the same while mourning Duncan and the victims of 9/11.

This afternoon, when I go for my swim workout, I know exactly whom I'll be thinking of. We all say goodbye in a different way and perhaps this will help me come to terms with the loss of this friend.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hey Mandy, how ya doing? I was just reading through some of your posts... sounds like you've had some unfortunate breaks, but these things will just prove to make u stronger. What else is new with you?