Discipline wasn’t the first word that came to mind when I thought of Darcy. But now that she’s gone, I can’t stop seeing how disciplined she was. I always knew she had perseverance, humor, spunk. But I guess it was because she made it look so easy that I didn’t see her intense discipline.
At her mom’s funeral on Valentine’s Day, when Darcy got up and read that lovely tribute, she told us about Toby and about herself. Darc made us laugh. She put us at ease, and made a hard day easier for all of us who were there. Many of us attended Toby’s funeral to be there for Darcy, to help her, but as usual, she helped us.
We often talk about the discipline of athletes, like the many, many football players and ice skaters Darcy loved to cheer. I see now that Darc was a disciplined athlete her whole life. She loved downtown skiing, loved the speed, the skill, the thrill. She told me once how devastated she’d been when Toby got rid of her skis after the accident. Darcy may not have ever worn those skis again, but she kept skiing the rest of her life.
She leaned into each challenge, gliding through the moguls and icy patches in her life. She showed as much discipline and grit as Lindsey Vonn. And like Lindsey, Darcy made it look easy. I don’t think Darcy really wanted us to see how hard she had to work. She wanted us to see the fun more than the sweat. We saw her smile and laugh, sing and roll her eyes. Fueled by discipline and her ever-present bottle of Mendota Springs water, Darcy glided through the every day, every story, every football game and every party.
But the way Darcy glided through life with grace and beauty, was no easier than the way Lindsey Vonn glides down a mountain. Both women worked hard. Both women refused to let injuries stop them. Whether the injuries were serious—a bad tumble down a mountain, a life-changing dive into a pool-- or seemingly small—a sliced thumb from opening Champagne, a burnt thigh from spilled soup—Darcy and Lindsey tucked in their chins, and kept gliding forward.
Lindsey Vonn won a gold medal, but we who were lucky enough to have known Darcy know who the champion is.