Involuntary celebrity

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"Ben," the lady said.

"Yes'm?" I replied.

"I have some tabs for you at the house," she said.

To explain before going on with today's topic:

The tabs are for the Ronald McDonald House. RMH collects aluminum can  tabs and sells them for recycling to help foot the bill for the many RMHs across the nation.

My son Jesse collects tabs for the RMH.

You may, like my brother once was, consider the RMH to be a bit of a joke. If you are one of these people, then you will not understand when I say, I hope you never find out exactly how serious the RMH is. Shag found out. He is now a major supporter of the RMH.

Back on topic:

This lady and I discussed the RMH and how she was once a beneficiary of said institution, her present ailments, the weather, my kids and so on. She's read the periodic stories I have published about Jesse's collection efforts. She's also kept up with him since he was born. Jesse and Susan are irregular stars in my weekly syndicated humor column.

I chatted with her just like I'd known her for years and years.

And?

Aside from knowing she lives in my town and knowing her neighborhood, I ain't got much of a clue who she is.

Doesn't matter either. I talked with her as long as she needed to talk. I was not in a hurry, had nowhere special to be and she & I had a mutual charity in common among other things.

"Dad, do you know her?" Susan asked as we walked back to the car.

"Not a clue, honey,"I said. "It doesn't matter. Being polite to someone doesn't hurt you. She thinks she knows me and that's all right."

That kind of thing happens to me frequently. There are about 8,700 residents in my county. More than 5,000 will claim to know me. You can find some people who don't have an opinion of me, but they are in the minority. That's all right too. There are a few other people in my community who are considered the same way - the sheriff, mayor, school superintendent, principals, judges, etc.

Some folks might object to this semi-celebrity semi-involuntary status. While I can't speak for the others, I do believe they don't object. If it bothered them, they'd quit their jobs and find something more anonymous to do. I certainly don't object.

When these folks claim to know me (and the other folks I mention above), they extend me a great honor. Many have invited me into their homes, fed me, fussed & cussed at me, complained, praised me, damned me, made offers and demands. They hold me to a high standard, one which I regularly and routinely fall short of.

Regardless of that, they consider me a person they can trust, confide in, lean on and call upon in a time of need. That need may be nothing more than getting a Card of Thanks in the paper next week. It may be a need so great as to ask me to preach their funeral.

In short, they treat me like a member of the family. I remind you: You don't like every member of your family either.

I try to treat people in my community the same way.

So when I stopped to talk to the lady whom I did not know, I wasn't passing time with a stranger. I was talking with a lady who matters. She is a part of my community. As our former EMS Director Jimmy Wynn once said "I consider everybody in Turner County to be my neighbor."

As I tell the twice annual CWOT every child in the school system here "is my young'un." All of them. Each child from the academic and sports superstars to the marginalized ones who'll drop out and self destruct in short order are my kids.

How much better would your community be if you treated everyone the way I try to treat people in my community?