Christy running at 6 AM in -3 °F weather… and she somehow got me to go with her. It was awesome, and that white stuff on her hair and eyelashes – yeah, it’s frost.
Christy Kohler. She is one of those people who, the first time you hang out, you tell way more then you should. Then you hope they still want to hang out with you… Well lucky for me, she did. Not only does Christy know how to get you to talk, she pretty much kicks ass at life. Here are a few Christy facts:
1. Christy makes people feel comfortable. She’s easy to talk to, a great listener, and has a very easy-going attitude about life (and that’s the fact I’ll be blaming my first-hang-out-oversharing on).
2. She is a very talented physical therapist. She made my lower back stop hurting after years of pain and chiropractors. When we go running, I’m like, “My whosie-whatsit hurts.” And she’s like, “That’s just your anterior-abdominal-interlocutor rubbing against your the spinal-cartilagen-flexor. If it hurts in a few days, let me know.” For the record, it never does and that is not an exact quote. Side note: if you have ever heard of spinal-cartilagen-flexors before, you should probably get a new PT.
3. She runs, and runs, and works out and then runs errands. She literally runs errands with a double jogging stroller that contains her two gorgeous kiddos. Then she gets you to do the same crazy stuff. Then you start getting other people around you to do it too. I suppose the real quality is that she is enormously, contagiously positive.
4. When Christy sees a need she fills it. For instance, her neighbor is trying to get her business off the ground so Christy offers to watch her kiddo for a few hours every Tuesday afternoon, so she has some time to work on it. Just because. She did the same thing for me this morning.
5. When she gets inspired to do something she acts on it. When she was visiting her Gran, she was bummed she didn’t live closer, but realized how lucky her Gran was to have so much family living nearby to give her a hand and keep her company in her later years. When Christy got home, she hooked up with a local organization that matches folks with older peeps looking for companionship. The commitment is two hours a week for six months; says Christy, “That’s not so bad. I can bring my kids, so that’s cool.”
6. I only know about Christy’s volunteer stuff because she asked if I’d be a reference for her. She’s always doing cool stuff and barely mentioning it. So number #6 is humility, or maybe it is a giving spirit, or maybe it is making these things such a regular part of your life that you don’t feel the need to brag. Whatever it is, it is admirable and also something that will probably make her really embarrassed to read this (sorry, Christy).
Alas, I must add… Christy is also human. She has the occasional crummy day, she finds some people annoying, and she probably gets the occasional zit—but overall, she is a gem. She is smart, has integrity, follows through and lives intentionally—and she helps me do the same.
We are all human. We all have our top six and our bottom six but, maybe, for today, we can focus on some of the great qualities of people all around us. Take a moment to appreciate the thoughtful neighbor or the nice grocery checker instead of worrying so much about the bad traffic or that one dude that didn’t clean up after his dog. That guy will always be there whether we think about him or not and perhaps the dog thing is just one of his bottom six, or maybe he just needs a bag.
I knew Christy was cool before I started writing this post about her, but now that I’ve sat down and really thought about, I see that she actually makes the world feel like a little bit better place to be. It would have been pretty easy to stay at the “Yeah, she’s cool” part and totally miss the “Wow, the world is a great place” part because it is way too easy to take the good stuff for granted, or to sweep it under the rug because it is expected. But those shiny bits are exactly where we should be pointing our spotlight and spending our time. A little gift from Christy, to me, to you.
Coming soon… GOOD PEEP #2!
Comments
Like you, I knew at first meeting that Christy was one of those special people.
Christy is married to my mother’s best friend’s son who I grew up with. She is absolutely a gem.
There was something special about you from the moment you were born. Dad and I couldn’t be prouder of the beautiful woman, and wife and mother, that you have blossomed into. You are every parent’s dream child…..well, except for the “Christy” award that Dad still gives to the messiest kid at the table!! We love you!