"Treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of reward. Your life will never be the same."
-Og Mandino,"The Greatest Salesman in the World"Via Gratefulness.org
I just *came back from my gym where everyone who knew him
is in SHOCK!
There he always was...larger than life. Standing about 6' 10", tanned,
blonde hair and a mustache. Before you got to know him, you thought
when looking at him, that he looked pretty "fierce." This was simply based
on appearances.
He knew this, too, so the first thing he did (or so it seemed to me) upon
encountering a new person is to smile and put him/her at ease.
I remember that this is exactly what he did about two years ago, when
I first saw him. He wiped down the machine and excused himself and his
buddies for taking so long on the machine. From that day, whenever I saw him, he was always so respectful and loving.
About six weeks ago, he, his buddies and I got into a discussion about a topical issue of the day. Then when they started about girls turning into werewolves and vampire movies, I moved away.
"I love those movies," he said.
I smiled.
The last time I saw him was exactly two weeks ago.
I asked him for his buddies. He smiled and said they weren't there that day.
Today, as I came out of the locker room, I instinctively looked over to where he liked to work out. He wasn't there.
At the time, I wondered why I'd thought of him, since there were so many other people I meet and greet at the gym. My times at the gym are so inconsistent, he's not always there whenever I'm there.
But I looked for him today, and he wasn't there.
I was nearing completion of my workout when my friend, with whom I'd had a lengthy discussion earlier about the recent elections and the political happenings, called me over.
He said, "You know about Mike right?" He had a smile.
"Which Mike," I asked... My friend then described him.
I said, "Yes. I know him."
"Well, he's dead," my friend said.
I realized then that his smile was a cover for the shock he and ALL the folks at Bally's in Fremont are currently experiencing, once they hear the news about Mike.
Apparently everyone knew him! Aside from his height, he stood out, too, because he sometimes wore red/yellow workout shoes.
Apparently everyone had a wonderful story to tell about his gentleness. And whenever his friends talked about him (a few others came over to join us), they were smiling...
They were smiling because of shock and, yes, they are incredulous that someone with so much life...so much spirit...could suddenly be DEAD!
Many people recalled seeing him at the gym on Friday. Then Monday, he fell over and died on the construction site where he worked. His supervisor found him on the ground. No one knows what killed him...yet.
Meanwhile, everyone is wondering...how could a guy so loving...in such good shape...55 years old...suddenly be no longer among us.
I wanted to tell them:
"He's here...he's here...he's STILL HERE!"
I'd FELT him draw me into his spirit upon exiting the locker room and entering the gym floor.
I know... he did.
I know... his spirit still lives.
I know ...his spirit is still connected to each and every person he encountered.
That's the oneness I blog about so often.
Yet, it's so hard to imagine because we're no longer going to see him.
Yes, his friends and all the folks at the gym can't stop smiling, though he's dead. The memories of the JOY he brought can never ever go away, whenever people think of him.
That's just the type of guy he was...he always found a way
to make you smile. Always.
Even those who don't claim any spiritual knowledge now
know there was something special about that guy, Mike!
God...I will miss his Presence.
But I know that every time I go to the gym...
I will remember; I will smile, too.
I will remember that beautiful spiritof Mike Winslow.
We all are waiting to hear about the funeral services.
You know...we all plan to go...so many of us...
his gym "friends."
We'll all be there...
And yes, we'll be smiling.
You see that's the legacy he left with the world in his 55 years:
Always leave people with a smile.
R.I.P. Mike Winslow:
Your spirit has so touched mine today.
I can't stop thinking about you.
I can't stop loving the memory of you.
I can't stop knowing that you were a Presence sent
for a short time...
..to teach us all... friends... strangers... gym mates...
how to let our spirit expand and cover the world
we inhabit ... with love.
Thank you, Mike Winslow, for teaching us the lessons of
love so very well.
We'll miss your Presence.
Namaste',
Che'
*Editor's Note: Original note written on Nov. 16, 2010
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