Day 6 of Gratitude - Shawn Sullivan
31 Days of Gratitude - In an attempt to publicly express my gratitude for the people that have impacted me in some way in 2015, I'm setting out to write one post a day sharing what I appreciate about them or what moment that marked me. Some of these people I know well, some I've only met, and some I'm just getting to know. There is no ranking to these posts and they aren't meant to put anyone on a pedestal. They, like you and I, are imperfect people with their own flaws, some you may have experienced. Despite those flaws, I believe we all need to have our positive characteristics called into light and celebrated. This is that attempt.
I've only known Shawn for a few years now, but I've grown to appreciate a great deal about who his is, what he stands for, and the way he is kind, generous, and intentional about including others into what he's into. I was just getting into CrossFit at a local gym and Shawn took no time introducing himself, asking questions to get to know me, and being one of the most encouraging guys in the gym. It said a lot about who he is, what he notices about others, and the way he engages with others. You could say that it's just his personality, and maybe it is, but I think it's more than that.
From what I know about Shawn, he's a loyal man and dedicated to the things he believes are most important in his life. I've seen him choose to enter the Air National Guard with a desire to be the very best and be with the most exclusive branch only to question that route because of the love he has for his now fiance and the impact that would have on their marriage. To put personal and professional dreams that are attainable back on the shelf is hard to do. However, he didn't just decide against serving our country, he went ahead and joined the National Guard and excelled at boot camp, and is serving with same intentionality a few times a month. I've seen him give a lot of hours and lead others into volunteering to help vulnerable homeowners, even if it meant for him to go to the project on his own. I've seen his generous spirit poured out on a regular basis to encourage and include everyone around him whether he knows them or not and in situations it would be easier to just focus on the friends he's with. I'm grateful for this about Shawn because I feel it when I'm around him.
I'm grateful for all the support he's given me as a friend through his natural leadership and athletic ability. He's a great example of the type of athletes that are willing to join me in the journey at Team NeighborLink, which are athletes that are just as much, if not more, interested in the things beyond sport as they are winning. It would be easy for Shawn to put his head down, train to win all the time, and want to know what's in it for him, but he's quite the opposite. Much of the outreach success in the past year or two has been because of Shawn and the magnetism and depth of character he possesses. Thanks for all your support with NeighborLink. You are making a difference in the lives of neighbors in need whether you raked their leaves or invited two other friends to raise money with you by running the Huff 50k in the middle of December.
Beyond all that, I'm simply grateful to be able to continue growing our friendship and to do life with you and Erica. You are a good man, Shawn. I admire many things about your character and hope they rub off on me. Now, we just need you to move into the house in our neighborhood so you can have a gym in your garage to get me into shape. I'm not sure Michelle would let me lift her above my head though.
