Dauphie Piper: A Beautiful Soul

Adventurer. Spiritual. Caring. Athletic. Healing. Sensitive. Explorer. Dependable. Trustworthy. Friend. Son. Brother. Client.


The words above came to me in a split second when I stopped to write about Dauphie. I met Dauphie Piper through his sister, Michel, a number of years ago. Our first meeting was over the phone as he had decided he wanted to work with me as his life coach. From the very first conversation I knew he and I would work together perfectly. He was the type of client I truly admire— his zest for life and his ability to look deeply and honestly at his strengths as well as his challenges.


Dauphie attacked life. He loved life. He was a searcher, a person who knew that his quest here had to have great meaning. When we first spoke, he was an intern as an emergency room physician. In this capacity, he was frustrated that he often only saw his patients one time. His desire was to do follow up with all of his patients, as he truly cared about their well being, but in the emergency room setting this rarely happened, and I know that bothered his sensitive nature.


In my work with all clients there are writing exercises due within 24 hours after our session. The point of this work is to help every person I work with to go deeper into their own personal world to find the answers to the questions that are present during our work. Dauphie's work often came written an hour after our talks. His dedication to his path was evident in how seriously he wanted to be in the physical world, but also knew that his life had a great spiritual meaning as well.


One of our most trans formative times came after I had asked him to read a very deep and powerful book called The Power of Now. We had continuous and extremely intense discussions on how he could apply the difficult principle of “living in the moment, every moment of every day.” This psychological “immersion” process meant that one would be totally conscious of all that was going on inside, feelings on a moment to moment basis, as well as what was happening in surroundings in the “outside world.” Dauphie took this exercise very seriously and it led to some amazing opportunities, self discovery, the type of discovery that he immediately started sharing with those around him. He began to seriously question the loads of “red tape” in the world of medicine that he believed prevented physicians from offering the utmost in patient care.


On a personal level, this “living in the moment” became a powerful part of his daily runs while living in Chicago. He first started to notice the amount of homeless people he would pass on a regular basis. This led him to test his own ego — he began purposely making eye contact with them. His final exercise was to look into their eyes as he ran by them daily and to consciously “send them love”. He told me the most incredible experience would occur when in unison they would look back at him and smile. These experiences became commonplace for Dauphie.
I was thrilled to have him in my life, not only as a client but also as a friend. When we met in person at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Sarasota, it truly was like we had known each other for years.His ready and infectious smile put people at ease. His desire to explore the seas on his father's boat, travel to Asia to discover Buddhist Temples, or trek to mountaintops in Bolivia, were all a part of his amazingly adventurous spirit.


The saddest phone call I have ever received came three weeks ago from Dauphie. With tears he told me of his recent medical diagnosis and that he may not be in this world much longer. He reached out to me with his incredible ability to share his deep emotion, telling me what I had meant to him, that he loved me for who I am and all that I am. Tears streamed down my face as I drove, not believing what I was hearing. I told him how much I loved him too, and how much I wanted to see him one more time. That one more time never came. Yet, as I write this, he is right here with me, overlooking my writing and making sure I don't leave anything important out (smile).


In memory of this amazing man, I now intend to live more like him. I intend, in Dauphie's honor, to be more adventurous, to explore more of what all of life has to offer. He touched me in a way that as I write this I have to say was unexpected. While he came into my life to learn about the process I use to help others, he left teaching me as well. And Dauphie, in your honor, I will carry forward in life with a new zest for living with a new sense of adventure. How can I ever thank you enough for that.
Love, your friend,

Rev. David www.davidessel.com