Getting to Know "The People" : Amy Gormley Skeel

Amy and her husband, Rob,
hiking the mountains in McCall, Idaho in 2019. 

For the first in our Getting to Know "The People" series, Perki had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Gormley Skeel. Amy has been a member of Perkis People for about ten months. Read on to learn a little more about her.

P: Perkis People is a group for people who want to use fun and friendship to build and protect their health. What are your favorite ways to add fun to your mental and physical well-being? 

Amy: I enjoy walking and riding my bike. I will often go out for an hour at a time. I listen to podcasts to distract me from fatigue or soreness; from the feeling that I want to stop. I listen to podcasts while walking not riding my bike. Riding my bike requires more paying attention. 

P: Do you have some favorite podcasts? 

Amy: Yes. I enjoy History Chicks and Stuff You Missed In History Class. And the American Girl podcast. I enjoyed the American Girls growing up. This podcast is told from an adult historical perspective. 

P: What Inspires you?

Amy: People who that make a difference in a small way. Doing the best with what they have. Ordinary people that do more then they think they can. (laugh) I guess we are all ordinary. 

P: In our own way, yes. 

P: Earlier this year, Perki’s People adopted the term SOCHA to mean any purposeful activity in your day. What is your favorite SOCHA? 

Amy: I like to lengthen ordinary walks. For example, when I go to work, I like to park as far away as possible. I work for a large hospital complex so that means about a ½ mile walk to the building. Then I take little detours to add steps until I get to my desk. 

P: What is your least favorite SOCHA? In other words, what is that movement that is necessary to your day that you find hard to do. 

Amy: Finding the motivation to get up and go in the first place. I sign up for a fitness class and then when the time comes, I don’t want to go. Once I’m there, it’s fine. 

P: Ahh I think we can all relate to that! 

P: When Perki asked The People to share something about themselves that perhaps others did not know you wrote, “At age 8 I got to ride on a police horse on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House... still remember the horse's name (Springer) but have sadly forgotten the name of the kind mounted policeman who let a horse-crazy little girl ride on his horse!”
P: Tell me a little more about the ride on the Police house when you were 8. How did that come about? 

Amy: My family was visiting Washington, D.C. Actually, I was home-schooled, and this was a family field trip. Dad took the day off from work. It may have been a stop on the way to a longer vacation – probably to visit our friends in North Carolina. My Grandmom Gormley lived in Bowie, MD at the time, so we could stay there overnight. 

We took the White House tour. I remember being so excited to see President Bush’s dogs. It may seem silly now but to my 8-year-old self, that was the closest thing to a celebrity sighting. After the tour we went out to Pennsylvania Avenue to view the White House behind the fence. There were lots of people and Mounted Police were going up and down keeping an eye on things. 

Cara, my sister, and I were horse crazy then. We nosed our way up to ask questions. The horse was BIG! Even my mom and dad remember that the horse – named Springer – was a huge animal. The policeman asked, “Do you want to sit on him”? Um, YES!. Cara, being younger got to go first. I was a little jealous, I have to admit, and I remember thinking that other kids must be jealous right now, too. He gave us a ride up and down the street. Also, my mom reminded me that the officer’s name was Officer Watson.  

P: How did you get up on the horse? 

Amy: I remember that Officer Watson got down, lifted us up onto the horse then held use there while he climbed up. We sat in front of him for the ride. I was a lanky 8-year-old but still, this horse was big. I had never been on a horse before – just pony rides at fairs.  

P: Thank you. Now we’ll finish up with some fun (I hope) questions to answer. What’s the most useless talent you have?

Amy: I can move my hairline enough to move my glasses sitting on my nose. There is some scrunching involved. It’s the same motion that some people use to wiggle their ears, but I can’t wiggle my ears. I can make my glasses move. 

P: What amusing thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?

Amy: Well you know who I’m thinking about right now. (It wasn’t a question) 

P: Yes, I’m sure it’s the same person I think about when I hear this question. (note to reader; my father is Amy’s grandfather. AKA Gumpop)

Amy: I remember when I was studying for the Spelling Bee, Gumpop told me that the word “Gullible” was not in the dictionary. Of course, I had to go look it up. 

P: Do you have a favorite mythical creature?

Amy: I’ve always been intrigued by the stories of the Loch Ness Monster. 

P: Would you rather own the Loch Ness Monster or be the Loch Ness Monster? Why?

Amy: I guess I’d rather own the Loch Ness Monster. I don’t want to go under water. 

THANK YOU AMY!