When we first started developing I’ll Go Too, we couldn’t come up with the right name. I told Steven I needed to think about it to really find the perfect fit. I started to think about what my Aunt Chatsy’s catch phrase was. My maternal grandmother always said ‘be good’. We all knew that. We knew what it meant, what it stood for. But what was Chats known for?
I asked around to a couple of people in the family, and there was indeed one thing that she said all of the time: “shit!” This word could be used for good surprises, bad accidents, expressions of affection, intent to disagree, announcement of annoyance, or any other instance she might have found herself in. Don’t get me wrong, her intention wasn’t vulgarity. She was as classy as they come. The intension was to show the people around her that she was listening, and she cared…and in solidarity, if you were mad at someone she was on your side automatically with no question…even when you were wrong.
Words, to my aunt, were never as important as actions. Chats was a mover and shaker, and never let any obstacle get in her way. When she said, “shit” what she meant was, she’s going to vent, then she’s going to tell you how something should be accomplished, then she’s going to get the job done. She was incredibly dedicated to her work as a Civil Servant, as her role as an aunt, and perhaps most importantly, a dedicated beach babe. She saw the bigger picture and sacrificed where necessary for the greater good. But never, did she ever say she couldn’t get something done with careful precision.
We thought “Shit” could be misconstrued as the title of our non-profit of devotion. I continued thinking and remembering. And it came suddenly and clearly: I’ll Go Too. I’d heard these words over and over again. “Hey Chatsy! I’m going to Ohio to see family…I have a wedding out of town…we’re going to see cousins…we’re going camping…” I’d tell her in conversation.
Her response was always the same, “I’ll go!” She was a woman who taught us all how to work hard to play hard. Be proud of your work, spend money mindfully, and take adventures with the people you love. God bless, she had it so right.
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