Waterford — Here is something I’ve learned on my spiritual journey:

“Souls have deep connections and unique contracts that span centuries, exist back and forth in time, and bind us in ways we can't really understand,” per author Laura Lynne Jackson. “These connections are ancient and everlasting, and they already exist in our hearts, even if we're not always aware of them.”

My interpretation of that quote underscores why I’ve come to believe in signs from the universe. They exist, even if we’re not always aware of them. Mostly, they arrive when you least expect them, much like early Friday afternoon at Langley’s during a celebration of Dan Santos’ life.

Primer on Dan: He was Waterford’s Mr. Fix It. The town plumber since 2007. Youth baseball coach. The reason the grass at the Babe Ruth Field is greener than the Celtics’ uniforms. A man who did not know the word ‘no.’ And taken from us too soon last week at age 57.

It was during a conversation with Dan’s longtime friend Jesse Long that the universe planted another flag.

“Dan had just died and I get a call from Tracy,” Long said, alluding to Dan’s wife of 33 years. “She asked if I could come over and fix a plumbing problem.”

Imagine: The town plumber, whose pipes, Long said, are spotless, numbered, labeled and organized, suddenly had a plumbing problem?

All I could see was the universe helping Dan, wearing this wry smile, tell his story: “I’m still here folks. You just can’t see me anymore.”

It’s a story that I hope allows the family, and the rest of us who knew him, to rest easier. It’s been a rough few weeks in the 06385, losing its Everywoman, Jody Nazarchuk, and its Everyman, Dan Santos.

“The first time I ever met Dan, we had just brought (daughter) Alexa home,” Long, who would coach baseball teams with Santos, said. “We lost our heat and it was the middle of winter. I see that our oil company was Danrich Oil (Santos’ business at the time). I mean, I had no idea who our oil company was. I call Dan out of the blue. He comes over, fixes what he needed to and then refuses to take the $60 for making a housecall. Friends ever since.”

“You could set your watch by that guy,” neighbor Lloyd Langhammer said. “Two o’clock every Saturday, cutting the lawn. Weed wacking. It always looked perfect, too.”

Bob Bono, former president of Waterford Babe Ruth: “When I became president, one of the first things I wanted to do was get Dan on to the board. He always said the same thing: “Just tell me what you need and it’s done.”

Santos is among the reasons Waterford’s athletic programs, youth to high school, are second to none in this corner of the world. He cared long after his kids stopped playing. Seems to be a glorious epidemic in the town. They care long after their kids have moved on. It’s not easy. But then, it’s easier when guys like Dan Santos are the pied pipers.

It is perfectly normal to react to the deaths of Santos and Nazarchyk with sadness. They were two of our go-to people. But they’d probably hate that we’re melancholy. Who’s got the time? There’s too much to do.

So I wonder if we can replace our grief with resolve. Do what Dan and Jody did. Go help somebody. Don’t ask for anything in return. Coach a team. Volunteer. Run the concession stand somewhere. Label your pipes. Cut your neighbor’s lawn (perfectly). Say yes before no. It’s only the perfect way to keep their memories alive.

Just remember: They’re still alive. There’s no other way to process Jesse Long’s story of the Immaculate Plumber.

RIP to Dan Santos. He showed us a better way to live.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro