Amazing Person List

Amazing is defined as very surprising, 

makes you feel pleasure, approval or wonder.

Have you ever thought of developing an "Amazing Person List"? Who would you put on it if you did? I could have a much longer list, but I decided to keep it to a list of three.  

1.Terry Fox: Terry lost his leg in 1977 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. In 1980 Terry began the "Marathon of Hope" which was a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. His dream was to raise $1 for each of Canadas 24 million people. On April 12, 1980, Terry started his run quietly on the east coast, with a goal to run 26 miles every day. By the time he reached Ontario he was a national star. Terry refused to take a day off. He had frequent skin splints and inflamed knee. He developed cysts on his stump and experience dizzy spells. At one point he had a sore ankle but continued on for 3 days before getting help. He refused regular medical checkups. By late August he was exhausted before he started his day. On September 1, he was forced to stop briefly after an intense coughing fit with pain in his chest. He then ran a short distance waving to the crowd, before he had to stop running, forever. We all remember the sadness we felt as we watched him leave his dream behind and go to the hospital. Terry accomplished 3,339 miles in 143 days. He died nine months later on June 28, 1981.  

Every September the Terry Fox legacy lives on. It will soon be 45 years since the annual "Terry Fox Run" began. The run has been successful in raising nearly $900 million. More than 1300 innovative cancer research projects have been funded through the Terry Fox foundation.

We all watched as Terry step hopped his way along the highway, day after day. A 22-year-old amputee was going across Canada to make a difference, a difference he did make. There is no doubt that Terry deserves to be on everyone's amazing person list. 

2. Jimmy Carter: On December 29, 2024, Jimmy passed away at this home. He was the 39th President of the United States. He was also the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Jimmy had been in hospice care for nearly two years. He had a melanoma that had metastasized to his brain and liver. He was 100 years old when he passed and was the longest-lived president.  

At the time of his death, I was reminded of what a good man Jimmy Carter was.  I remember when he was President. It was January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. He was a humanitarian his entire life. You could feel the love and respect that Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn had for each other. She died a year ago and he told his family he wanted to go and be with her. Jimmy and Rosalynn had three boys, who are now 72-77 years old and one daughter who is 57. Amy grew up in the White House during the one term her dad was president. The Carter family totals 38 with 22 grandchildren and great grandchildren. Jimmy Carter remained true to who he was, during his time as President, before and long after. That is why he made my "Amazing Person List". 

3. My Coaches: In my world a true coach does what you do, only better. When I watch the coaches at CrossFit work out, I can't believe it. There they are imbedded in a class, led by one of the employees and in their zone. One of them grabs some water and they are back out to lead us. They make a point of speaking to each of us with encouraging words. I am not sure where they come from, but there they are if you aren't positioned correctly or not doing something correctly. Some days I get considerably more attention than I want but apparently need. It is the same for my paddling coach. She is a cancer survivor and is closer to 80 years old than 70. She is one of the best paddlers on the team and has a daily fitness regime like none other. She is a no excuse person because there is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing that she hasn't done or won't do. She is inspirational in so many ways. 

I have nothing but upmost respect for my each of my coaches. They have changed my life and that to me makes them amazing. 

How does a person become amazing to other people? I am easily impressed and as a result I may overuse the word "amazing". What comes naturally to some, will never be achievable for others. Like playing an instrument by ear or painting a mural on a wall. Simply amazing. Leaving me in wonderment is my favorite part of amazing. I love the human-interest posts on Facebook. I was moved by one story that I just read. In a small restaurant it is the practice for customers to pay for their own meal and another one. The till bill is then placed on the wall and when someone is hungry or needs a coffee and can't afford it, they just have to ask if there is a till bill. Amazing!!!

I am continuously amazed by people's kindness, creativity and being a good human being. I know that everyone has an ability or quality that others will say is "amazing". If you don't think you have an amazing quality, you are wrong, just ask someone to tell you what it is. 

Note: what I find amazing about myself is that I can write a blog. Read it dozens of times and send it through 2 spell checks and grammar checks. But it is during the first read after I have published that I notice an error. Just amazing!