Dan was on the bike, and if not for his helmet, I might be writing of the tragic passing of a friend rather than his survival and on going struggle for healing and recovery.
At this point in his recovery, Dan is now in rehab for the next 6-8 weeks at the Penn State Rehab hospital in Hershey, where he will undergo therapy for a bad spinal fracture, broken clavicle, and to learn how to navigate through his immediate life wheelchair bound...whether this is a lifetime prognosis is not known.
But Dan is a true optimist, and he is looking with clarity and practicality at the tasks at hand--heal, gain strength, learn new skills for independence, compassionately share his experience so that others might benefit!
Dan is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and I credit him for pointing me in the right direction many times over, on my own path as a Buddhist. I know Dan's own beliefs and teachings will see him through this process of change and uncertainty.
He of course would be the first to point out that his accident proves the 3 Marks of Existence: We all suffer, All is impermanent, All is Empty.
To that I would also add, All is Love, as Thich Nhat Hanh so beautifully conveys: "In true love you attain freedom." (from True Love: A Practice For Awakening The Heart)
Love surrounds us all as air surrounds a bird and water surrounds a fish--love is where we exist!
If you would like to check in on Dan's progress, here is an awesome website where he has his own "page":
www.caringbridge.org/visit/dancozort/mystory
Namu Amida Butsu!
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