“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” -The Princess Diaries
Hello! My name is Mallory Price, and I have had the sincere privilege of spending four of the last eight and a half months of the World Race on a team with none other than Karlie Cheney.
As soon as I got to know her well, Karlie became someone I feel like I’ve known for the majority of my life. We quickly realized we have a lot in common. We’re the same age (although Karlie will be quick to tell you she’s 22 as of May, while I still have 3 weeks until my birthday), we come from similar upbringings and are both very close with our siblings, we have similar senses of humor and tend to laugh a lot when together, and we both believe there is little in life that chocolate and a Disney movie can’t fix. Karlie’s plans after the Race are to go to cosmetology school and become a hair stylist, which two years ago, was also the exact path my life was on.
Although we are very similar in a lot of ways, we’re also pretty different. As Bob Goff describes it, there are typically two types of people in the world: balloons and strings.
If you’re familiar with the Enneagram and close with Karlie, you may be quick to notice her type. Karlie is a seven on the Enneagram, “The Enthusiast,” and that fact glistens in just about every aspect of her life. Karlie is one of the most optimistic and enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. In every situation, no matter the cards she’s dealt, somehow she finds the silver lining. To others, it may be a stinking pile of dirt. But to Karlie, it’s an opportunity. Karlie sees things and people not for the sobering and sad realities they are, but rather for what they can be. Sevens, or better yet, Karlie’s are essential to everyone’s lives, I believe. And more specifically, to keeping all of our sanities in check. Sevens make life interesting and keep us all on our toes with insane, off-the-wall ideas and the spontaneity, tenacity, joy, and adventurousness most of us can only ever dream of. On the Race, Karlie is the one to consistently remind me that this life we are living *is* an adventure, and it’s my duty to live it as one.
It goes without saying that I am not a Seven on the Enneagram. I’m a four, “The Individualist”. In my aforementioned two types of people in the world, Karlie is a balloon, while I am a string. I’m a pessimist by nature, something I knew before the Race, but wasn’t totally aware of how often this trait came out of me until being on a team with Karlie. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve unintentionally but quite literally rained on Karlie’s parade. She is a good and gracious friend, however, and picks and chooses when to point this out to me. We often joke that Karlie is Tigger and I’m Eeyore. Everyday is an adventure and another opportunity to choose joy for Karlie, while I could probably find something to complain about if I won the lottery on Christmas Day while in Disney World. Still without strings, balloons would fly off into the endless sky, never touching the ground, and hardly hanging around for any longer than a second or two. Balloons need strings to stay grounded, to stay connected, to follow through and fulfill their purpose.
I’ll give you an example of how our balloon and string qualities have come into play on the Race. In April, we served with our ministry hosts in Serbia who run a summer camp for kids in the community. The month before, when we heard we would be staying at a campground, what Karlie heard was that we were going to be literally camping. I’m talking in the middle of the woods, sleeping in tents, cooking over a fire, no actual bathrooms or other civilization for miles. In my realist mind, I knew this was not going to be the case. But it was too late, because Karlie had it in her head and she was floating away with it. She began looking for t-shirt’s, (aka camping clothes) to buy, working out in preparation for the s’mores to be consumed, and talking nonstop of her excitement and love for camping. I didn’t want her to be disappointed, so though she probably found it incredibly annoying at the time, I dragged her imagination back down to earth more than a few times. When we arrived in Serbia to find our indoor living accommodations, beds, kitchen, and hot showers, I said nothing but instead loosened my grip and once again allowed a little more slack in the string. I had kept Karlie’s balloon grounded within reason, and saved her a good amount of disappointment.
Balloons need strings. Karlie’s need Mal’s. Just the same, Mal’s need Karlie’s.
My personal life and journey with the Lord can be marked by roadblocks and hurdles of anxiety. In the last few months, Karlie, this free-floating balloon full of wonder, out-of-this-world dreams, and genuine, all-encompassing love and trust in the Lord, has shown me what my life could look like. Where I once waded in the kiddie pool, putting one toe in at a time, Karlie has taught me to instead cannon ball into the deep end of life, to dive headfirst into anything and everything the Holy Spirit asks of me, and let the Lord do the rest. It isn’t easy for me to trust, or to silence the worries and anxieties that plague my mind. Sometimes I’m *too* grounded, always choosing the safe option. As followers and disciples of Christ, however, we aren’t called to or promised anything safe. In fact, we’re actually called to endless, overwhelming risk. The Race was a giant risk. I went into these eleven months of my life thinking this would be my one-and-done adventure. But what I’ve found, what the Lord has shaken up my whole life by teaching me through people like Karlie, is that I actually crave adventure now. My whole perspective has changed to see that anything else is an irresponsible waste of time. I want the risk, because I’ve seen the reward. Deeper intimacy with my Father, lives changed, people and places reached I never could have even dreamed of before. I’ve let my walls down, I’ve learned to silence the anxiety and to just live.
Karlie may be going home to California in just a matter of weeks now, while I will be going home to Tennessee, but I firmly believe we will be in each other’s lives for the long haul. Actually, I refuse to accept anything to the contrary. Thank you, Lord, for this incredible woman of faith, sweet friend, and inspiring daughter of You, who lives her life in such a way that others can’t help but notice and see You through and above it all.
Love you deeply, Marlie.
