“Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
― Ernest Hemingway
I read this quote and cant help but to reflect on my friend Dustin's life, who recently passed away. Although the thought of Dustin comes up in my head several times a day I haven't let myself ponder the severity of the situation. It's like I can't face the music I can't Imagine not seeing his face one last time without his smile coming back at me. His laugh and voice are burned into my mind. Even now just thinking of memories I don't know whether to laugh or cry, both of which I see as a correct response for someone who knew Dustin. Dustin was the type of guy to be there for anyone who needed his help whether you were his friend or not I think he really prided himself on being able to help anybody. Just to give you an example of what I am talking about, a group of about 14 of my friends went on a vacation together and the first night in the house I kicked a door down. The next morning Dustin hid the broken bits of the door in his truck, we went to home depot bought all the stuff to put in a new door (A much bigger process than we realized) and in no time with Dustin leading the crew we had a door put in that looked better than the original. Dustin's loyalty and guidance went far beyond this. Every girlfriend trouble over the past 5 years he has listened to me bitch and calmed me down, and I can't count on both hands how many times he has kept my ass out of trouble. The memories go on and on and thats what I am going to hold onto and cherish. The night of Dustins passing 2/6/16 was the last time I saw him, I had my camera on me but put it away early and unfortunately I didn't get his picture that night. I guess that would have been my way of holding onto Dustin as he most currently was. And in some sense photos are my way to cheat death, that until the day I die life can't take away the photos and the memories I have shared with the people I love. The world lost a great man this week, and my friends and I lost a great jamming buddy, one whacky SOB, and most importantly a loyal friend. You will forever be missed D wish we could have had one last ride together.
