Live like Dan

The reality of Dan’s death is just sinking in. A week ago, I made the trip south to visit with this dear family and Dan’s friends. The spontaneous conversations. The stories, oh the stories.

I listened and smiled.

The stories weren’t about Dan; they were about the way Dan lived life, times Dan did something that made life better for someone else.

The people there to honor him knew Dan as a teacher, principal, superintendent, golf buddy, mentor. I knew Dan as a 4-H dad and granddad. I was lucky; the Price family always made me feel like I won the lottery.

I think many of us will feel lost for a bit. May I suggest in our “lostness,” we honor Dan’s memory by living like Dan lived.

1. Help others find their passion and potential.

Dan encouraged others to take a risk, to take the next step that would elevate their life journey. Whether it was work on an advanced degree or apply for a job, Dan put others on the path they hadn’t seen themselves taking, then supported them through the process. Dan saw the superfantastic part in each of us, and reminded us of it when we had forgotten it.

2. Get your hands dirty.

Dan could have dictated tasks from above, but more often, if there was dirty work to be done, Dan would be just as deep in it as us. By example, Dan taught us: there are no shortcuts; life is not easy; do it the right way the first time; work harder than you want; get out of bed and get the job done yourself; don’t ask others what you can do yourself.

3. Walk your own walk.

He did have a unique gait. I don’t know if it was always that way, but his walk was his for as long as I knew him. None of his best friends even attempted to mimic it in their farewell speeches. It was his, alone. We all have those things which separate us, define us. You can try to hide it or live in it fully. Dan chose his walk.

4. Put family first.

You didn’t have to wonder what mattered to Dan. Family came first. Always. And, putting family first meant being physically present in the lives of his children and grandchildren. It didn’t happen by accident; goodness never does. Dan made a deliberate choice every day to be the man his family needed.

5. Be loyal to something.

Dan was a Cardinals fan, and he wasn’t bashful about it. To live like Dan means to go all in, through good and bad, in sunshine and rain, whether it’s easy or hard. Commit to something and defend it every chance you get. If Dan ever doubted he could get a new grade school built or a new gym floor, you never saw it in his face or by his actions. His gambles were never gambles; they were sure bets.

6. Stop complaining.

Really. Stop. You can’t be “superfantastic” while complaining. Dan’s legacy will be the inspiration he gave us all to let a positive attitude guide our daily walk. It wasn’t a catch phrase or marketing gimmick to Dan, it was a philosophy of how he chose to live his life … and we all were the beneficiaries of his light.

Go out there. Face the day. Be someone else’s Dan, and live your life with meaning and purpose and joy.