David Weinreich, shimmering

When I left the Boulder Theatre last night, after being honored to share in a special afternoon and evening celebrating the life of David Weinreich, I felt it again – the feeling of being transported back in time.  I drove through the quiet, dark town, passing all the familiar landmarks.  Pearl Street, Whole Foods (although most of us still think of it as Alfalfa’s), McGuckin’s, the red flagstone buildings on the campus.  So much has changed, but so much has stayed the same. 

Driving into Boulder earlier that afternoon, straight from work, my current life seemed to fade a bit.  Time morphed back to the wonderful (and crazy) years I’d spent going to school in Boulder.  I drove from Golden to Boulder on Hwy 93, past the majestic wind turbines of the National Wind Technology Center (part of NREL, where I work in Golden – my current life), past Eldorado Canyon on my left.  And then I arrived at the edge of town…up ahead on my left were the unchangeable Flatirons. Basemar Center on my right, now fancy with bagel and coffee shops. 

Finally, I turned left on Baseline and climbed up toward Chautauqua.  Flagstaff loomed up ahead.  How many times had we all traveled this road when we lived our various lives in Boulder?  Many…. countless. 

 Now, it’s not as if I haven’t been to Boulder at all in the past 20 years.  In fact, I’ve spent plenty of time there.  But this was different, I was going to see old friends (and meet some new ones), and share memories about a wonderful person who was no longer with us.

As I slowly circled the grassy park of Chautauqua, I saw a group of people that looked kind of familiar/kind of not familiar.  I parked and walked over.  It was the right group.  Yes, they were here for David.  At first, it was a little bit hard to put everybody into perspective.  But one by one, sharing memories and “did you know so and so” we all figured out how we were connected, places we must’ve been together in the past, what we were doing now in our current lives.  Why we were here.  How David brought us together.

Eventually we formed a circle.  It was getting chilly and was a bit overcast.  One by one, little by little, we shared stories about David, talked of him – to him.  Missed him.  Laughed and cried.  It became very clear how much he had impacted each of us. 

We remembered his absolute joy for life.  His passion for his friends, family and everyone around him.  His fierce love of riding, climbing, skiing, the outdoors, his canine companions.  His loyal heart, his capacity for love.  How, even in death, he managed to connect a group of people – some two decades after they’d last met.  I think that, in particular, made him smile.

We came from all over.  Aspen, New Hampshire, the Virgin Islands, Montana, Boulder, Frisco and more.  From near and far, he connected us.  Pulled us in. 

We joined hands, shared a moment of quiet together.  Just then, a wind blew over us, through us.  It ruffled hair, coats, sweaters. I think that wind was David – tickling us, cajoling us out of sadness.  Laughing, and offering us the comfort of that famous smile.   

He was there with us in that beautiful place. 

Later, at the lovely little restaurant next to the Boulder Theatre, even more people came along to celebrate David’s life.  To celebrate what would have been his 40 years on this earth.   It was perfect.  Cozy, warm, softly lit – brick fireplace, low couches.  Comforting and welcoming.  He would have loved it.  In fact, I know he loved it.  He was never far away. 

All too soon it was time for me to head back home – to sick kids and work the next day.  My current life. 

 Back on the Boulder Turnpike, a trip I made countless times when I was in college (home to my mom and clean laundry), I had that familiar feeling again…falling back in time.  There are more stores, car dealerships, commerce along the Turnpike now than there was back then.  But the rolling hills are still the same, the shape of the land is still familiar.  The lights of Denver peeping over the horizon. 

I pondered David, his life, the friends and family who loved him.  On the radio were the familiar voices of KBCO – every Boulderite’s radio station.  And then a song.  I love this song and in particular the acoustic Studio C version they played just then.

 I hadn’t cried that afternoon or evening.  I had held back.  But last night I traveled home – back to my current life – with my old friend David, and I cried for our loss of that radiant person.  That old friend, a son, a brother.

His time on earth with us was too short.  But for someone like David, maybe death is just a word.  As one friend said, “he was bigger than life itself.”  Heads nodded all around.  All concurred. 

David was born to shimmer and shine.  And after last night, I know he does still. 

 

Shimmer  by Shawn Mullins

[to listen to the KBCO Studio C version of “Shimmer” go here http://www.kbco.com/pages/studiocondemand_mr.html and scroll down through the Ms to Shimmer/Beautiful Wreck]

Sharing with us what he knows, shining eyes are big and blue
and all around him water flows, this world to him is new, this world to him is new 

To touch a face, to kiss a smile, new eyes see no race
the essence of a child, the essence of a child 

He’s born to shimmer, he’s born to shine, he’s born to radiate
he’s born to live, he’s born to love but we’ll teach him not to hate  

True love it is a rock, smoothed over by a stream
no ticking of a clock, truly measures what that means, truly measures what that means  

And this thing they call our time, heard a brilliant woman say
she said you know it’s crazy how I want to try to capture mine
I think I love this woman’s way, I think I love this woman’s way  

The way she shimmers, the way she shines, the way she radiates
the way she lives, the way she loves, the way she never hates  

Sometimes I think of all of this that can surround me
I know it all as being mine

but she kisses me and wraps herself around me
she gives me love, she gives me time …and I feel fine,  I feel fine 

But time I cannot change, so here’s to looking back
you know I drink a whole bottle of my pride and I toast to change
to keep these demons off my back, just get these demons off my back 

Cause I want to shimmer, I want to shine, I want to radiate

I want to live, I want to love
I want to try to learn not to hate, try not to hate 

We’re born to shimmer, we’re born to shine, we’re born to radiate
we’re born to live, we’re born to love
we’re born to never hate