Face Time

Evon Long just sent me e-mail. In the header, it said "Just In Case I Missed You". Well, shucks, Evon, that's extraordinarily nice of you to think of me, but I have no idea who you are. In real life, I am certain that there is no actual human named Evon Long, but a quick Googling turned up his daughter, or maybe someone who happened to have the same name as the computer generated name of a spam machine.
These aren't the people I want to know. They don't do anything aside from tipping me to investment opportunities or the chance to buy Cialis at below market prices without the embarassment of asking for it at my local drug store. The people I want to know are the ones who help me out in real life.
Who are the people in my neighborhood? Well, there's Robert. He's our UPS guy. He likes our dog and she likes him. Then there's Melissa. She's our mail lady. Our dog scares her. These are people who walk in and out of our lives on a regular basis, and we always have a smile and a wave for them, even when they don't have anything for us. I have tried, albeit briefly, to imagine what their lives might be like for the other twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes of the day. They don't sleep in those trucks, do they?
Then there's the guy who works at the store on the corner up the street from my school. Actually, I don't know if he even works inside the store. He may just sweep up the sidewalk in front before it opens. He might own the place. What I do know is that most mornings when I make the big turn to go up the hill before I go back down the hill to work, he's out there with a broom. He always gives me a big wave, and I toss him a quick salute as I clear the intersection. Sometimes we add in a nod as I pass. It's how I start my day. I don't know his name, but he's part of my day and on the odd occasion that I am early or late and miss our minute interaction, it gives me pause. He's the welcoming face of the neighborhood, and it helps me feel at home.
Now that I think of it, I guess I'll have to do a more careful screening of my e-mail from now on. That guy just could be Evon Long.