Day 57

Fifteen years ago today I lost an amazing friend who really got what it means to live life the right way. Evi put people first. Always. Always. Always. She was incredibly fun. She was spicy. She broke rules,  lots of them really--but only ones that got in the way of enjoying life and helping other people  live it up too. She had THE most contagious laugh. I am a better person for having met her. I am closer to some amazing people because of her.

I am incredibly grateful for the few years I spent with Evi and for the influence she still has on me. Sometimes when I start feeling stressed about silly, unimportant things, I think "What Would Evi Do?" Because I know: She'd skip class and call her grandparents in Greece. From an office in the environmental science building. Or she'd buy a shit-ton of candy to put in 100 people's mailboxes for Groundhog Day. You get the picture. She got it.

I keep a letter Evi wrote me in 1995 in my office. On it she drew this picture, which, now that I think about it, sort of sums up her approach: Look on the sunny side,  hang with a friend. (Yes, I know it's sideways...)