Let me tell you about my pal, Shannon.
It's been an honor and a privilege to call Shannon a friend these past nearly two years. She knows my last name, my birthday (more or less?) and we've had sushi (I think?) and many other meals together. We've even had BRUNCH, which is quite possibly the best meal of them all.
I didn't tell her I was writing this entry because she would probably protest and fret. But my definition of today is a dedication to people who do AWESOME things, and Shannon is pretty awesome.
The thing I love most about Shannon is her capacity to feel. As an incredibly empathetic person, I trained myself long ago to suppress my over abundance of emotions. And while it may be the more socially acceptable way to go about life, society is filled with broken people who are afraid to truly live. Shannon's excitement and energy are uncontainable, sometimes in spite of herself, and it is beautiful and CONTAGIOUS. She makes me feel safe about being excited, too, and I just love that sometimes she can't control it, because her desire to fit in is beat out by her desire to experience life.
And speaking of experience life, Shannon is a survivor. Like many, she silently suffered from times of depression but instead of letting it control her, she uses it to push through and help others. She loves on people like crazy, offering an abundance of encouragement, and for her birthday and other special times she sets up a drive to raise money for AFSP, her current effort with her husband currently is in the TOP 5 (#3 as of this writing) in the ENTIRE ORGANIZATION!
Shannon is also a phenomenal writer, a passion she doesn't think she's very good at but continues to do anyway. Why? Because she's tenacious and perseveres and even though she's crazy because she's super talented no matter what she thinks, she will always strive to be the best she can be. And so many people fall short in that regard.
I won't expound on how she's a selfless, loving, super-fun-to-be-around nerd, because I'm sure others have their own stories they can share. Those of us who know her know that life is brighter with her in it, and those who don't, I hope in some way you get to experience it for yourself, or find a Shannon-equivalent in your world.