My friend Kimi passed away recently. I found this poem she had written on her blog:
call it a chair
i’m going to get a bunch of those beautifully colored leaves.
and some adhesive.
lots of that adhesive.
and slap the leaves onto cardboard.
with adhesive.
and call it a chair.
you can sit in it if you want.
Kimi Young 1986-2009
I apologize for the lack of new posts in recent days. I found out late last week that my friend Kimi had passed away. She apparently died from complications due to the Swine Flu and Pneumonia. It would have been her birthday this past Sunday. You can read about her life during college in an article from the Miami Student.
Kimi is really difficult to describe in words…so I won’t really try. She was a completely unique person in the world. Her spirit was one of so much joy. She loved deeply and openly, and wanted to know everyone she came into contact with. Her dreadlocks and skirts were a fixture on the Miami University campus. Kimi was awesome…that’s the best way to really describe her.
I spent this past Saturday at her funeral service. As hard as it was to see her family and friends so terribly sad, everyone there was able to cry and laugh at the same time while remembering her…and I think Kimi would have wanted it to be like that. There were so many people at this tiny church out in the cornfields of Ohio, there was no place to sit. The church directors kept pulling out more and more chairs until there was hardly any room to walk, and even then there were not enough. Several people got up and spoke about their experiences with Kimi, and they all had the same themes. Because Kimi was such a true person, her true self shone through and everyone at the service could relate to other people’s stories of Kimi. Whether someone knew her in childhood, high school, or college, they all had the same experiences. Family members, professors, and family had the same experiences. Several themes really shown through that day:
Kimi was just such an honest, loving person.
She could see the needs in other people and could tell when they were hurting. She always tried to fill those needs.
She loved to laugh…and dance (whether or not anyone was around to see).
She always treated people with kindness.
Here are some entries taken off of her facebook wall after she passed away:
Kimi, you were the most bright, energetic, and crazy happy person I ever met. I will never forget that…
I looked up to your style, you didnt care what anyone thought of you. I could always expect to say hi to you uptown even when we hadnt talked about anything recently- most would just ignore someone they hadnt talked to in so long. I should of gone to colombia with you, I will go someday.
this earth is never going to be the same, but it was so much more beautiful when you were here. it’s up to all of us now to keep you alive in whatever we do. you are wonderfully inspiring, kimi. i hope my heart learns to love the way that you have.
The world will be a much sadder place without you Kimi. I don’t think I ever saw you without a smile on your face I’ll miss that. Your shining spirit is needed elsewhere now, shine as bright as you can! I’ll always love you!
[completely floored, just found out] I feel like I just saw you; cause I see you every time I come back to Oxford. You are one of the brightest, most upbeat, genuine, caring, fun people I have had the privilege of knowing during my collegiate decade; to find out you’ve left us so early is completely unacceptable to me. We will all have so much work to do in making up for the joy you would be spreading all over. God bless you Kimi; til next time.
oxygen. I have not been so unravelled in a very long time. I loved you so much, girl. You were a ray of sunshine, the fragrance of heaven (and a bit of earth; patchouli 
and a soul-mate cut from the same fabric in so many ways.
you loved my boys…I don’t know how I’ll tell them that you’re gone… I’ll go make some art…thinking about you for a long time…and hyperventilating until the pain turns into a dull numb-ness. you are loved.
My friend Harry also wrote her a letter on facebook. It made me cry all over again. It talks about how he once caught her hair on fire, how she taught him about God, and many other things. You can read the entire letter here, but I’ll also post an excerpt:
Kimi touched so many lives just by being herself and loving people. She had the craziest smile, and the most contagious positive attitude I have ever seen.
I met her when I started working at Kofenya together back in college. We spent a lot of time together working, hanging out, and sharing meals.
After college I moved down to Florida where I didn’t know anyone. After a phone conversation where I probably sounded lonely, she booked a flight and was the first of my friends to come and visit me. She never had much money and booked a flight on the old Skybus airline. We thought she was flying into Jacksonville, but ended up flying into Daytona Beach…about 3 ½ hours drive from where I lived…She had to wait several hours until I could make it down there in my old truck and pick her up. Most people would be upset or annoyed at this type of situation, but Kimi met me with a huge smile and a hug. We drove all the way back to Tallahassee, talking and listening to music the whole way.
During that visit, we went to the beach and talked about life, smoked hookah at a place where Kimi made new friends with the workers, and went into an art gallery. At the gallery, I was looking for items to decorate my new apartment, and I saw a painting I really liked. It was basically a large canvas painted yellow with some red splashes in it. It was really cool…and also priced at a few hundred dollars. Kimi came up behind me while I was looking at it and said “why don’t you just make it yourself”. When I told her I had never painted before, that didn’t stop her. We drove to an art supply store, stocked up on canvas, paint, and brushes. We spent the rest of the afternoon painting and drinking wine. Two years later, I am displaying three of my paintings at local gallery this Friday. Thanks Kimi, for opening up a part of me that I didn’t know I had.
The entire visit was so good. It was exactly what I needed at that time in my life…and Kimi knew that and spent her time and money to come down and visit me. That has always meant so much to me, and I wish I could see her again.
Kimi,
This is so hard…I will always remember how I felt when Kate told me you had gone. In a world that is so untrusting and distant, you were someone who always brought happiness to everyone, including me.
Thanks for all the great times we have had and the memories that will stay with me forever.
Thanks for coming into my life and teaching me so much.
Thanks for being so supportive of my (sometimes) crazy ideas, and always offering to help.
Thanks for being a positive force in a world that very much needs it.
Thanks for being you.
I love you and I’ll miss you, my friend.
Love, Joe
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