When I first moved to SF, Dieter lived downstairs from my coworkers. He was up at their house all the time. I think at that point they were sharing some appliances - a washer and drier. Anyway, I got to know him a bit. Not too long after that he mentioned that he knew a bunch of people who were planning to gather weekly to practice spiritual disciplines together and have a pot-luck meal. I was pretty interested so Chris and I jumped in with the group and instantly made 30 great friends. Dieter and I made a bunch of climbing trips, lunches at the yummy $4 plate lunch Chinese place (it's since been closed and renamed - the Health Department might have been involved), and for a few months I was coaching soccer with him. He intially asked me b/c he was in a pinch for an assistant coach and I told him that I'd failed to make the JV soccer team in High School. And, JV soccer in Memphis has remarkably low standards. He didnt get the message untill I'd been 'coaching' with him for a couple months. My coaching contributions were primarily emotional support and ball chasing for the 8 yr olds. So, that didnt last. We've been backpacking once and have stayed in touch a little since he's moved north of SF. All in all, as older guys go, he's one of my better friends even though I dont see him much lately.
Last monday he had a stroke - completely out of no where. He's run marathons and is a very healthy guy. It seems to have been a serious stroke and he's still in a coma. They brought him out of it for a few minutes last night. There's more info on this blog.
It's hard to know how to really feel about it. I'm afraid he's going to be messed up. He's really deep so I'm sure he'll be able to cope with it. And, he's got a strong family, so I'm sure they'll pull together. It is just strange to still be waiting to see what will really be the result of this trauma.
