The Most Unforgettable Person You Know

One of my new favorite things to do in my new home of Bloomington is to wake up early, while Brett is still deep asleep, and go for a long walk. I plug in my ipod into my ears and listen to "This American Life" a radio show on NPR that features stories. This week's show was inspired by the The Georgia Rambler a column in an Atlanta newspaper where the journalist would drive to small towns and ask, "Who is the most unforgettable person you know?". The show featured seven stories from that very same question.

I have to ask, what would happen if I did the same thing? What stories would come out? Who would people pick?

I asked my husband, Brett, who was the most unforgettable person he knew and he sputtered something about his dad and his twin brother Eric. It was difficult for Brett to qualify why he felt these two individuals could wear the title of unforgettable.

Now to ask me; who is the most unforgettable person I know? Unforgettable isn't the person who has changed me significantly or the person who has inspired me to be who I am today. Unforgettable is the person who you can see, smell, and their energy erupts out as stories are retold. To that I can only think of one person in my life who could meet those requirements - my friend Joya.

Just barely skimming 5' Joya made up for her short stalky stature by being loud and noticed quickly. Brett loves stories that feature Joya as he laughs with a loud cackle at each detail described. Stories told about Joya must be told in a specific dialect. One that is slow and vowels are slurred. The word bunny becomes bonnie with a lazy tongue barely wanting to move. In my mind she is almost like a folklore figure - larger than life. Joya known for uncanny words and nicknames to anyone she met. If she didn't like you, you were named for a feature that was unpleasant. For the counselor that had overweight arm fat that dripped and dribbled as she walked, qualified for a Joya nickname of "Dumplings". I would come home from running an errand to find Joya spread out on my couch like a blanket basking in the cold frosty AC air. She would only have the energy to turn to me and say, "I'm not going up to the fourth floor - I'm staying right here." She didn't ask permission for things - she informed people what would be happening.

Who is the most unforgettable person you know?