Shooting the breeze - Aug. 13

I had the distinct opportunity to meet two of Pittsburg’s most engaging citizens last week.

When I attended the splash pad grand opening, I met Serenity, a bright, vibrant 8-year-old. She told me she didn’t smile and didn’t take good photos. Challenge accepted.

I snapped a photo of her that would later become the front page photo for the Aug. 6 paper. Just before the paper went to press, I happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar face out the windows of The Pittsburg Gazette.

I ran outside to be sure and it was indeed Miss Serenity riding her bike on the sidewalk with a friend. I called for her to come inside the office where I showed her the front page on my computer. Her eyes lit up and you could tell she saw herself differently. She saw the newspaper differently. I told her to be sure and come back on Wednesday to get a copy.

Sure enough, Wednesday morning, I heard her before I saw her. “Come on! I have to go get a copy of MY newspaper!” she yelled to her friend. She bounced inside and over to my desk and I got her a copy to keep for herself as well as one to take to her mother and grandmother. She almost made it out the door before remembering she needed one for her uncle, too. Lucky uncle! So off she went with a huge grin and four newspapers.

Ten minutes later, she was back, limping over to my desk clutching four crumpled newspapers to her chest. “I need a sack,” she said, her current frown as big as her former grin. I looked down and saw why. Her little knee was bloodied from a tumble off her bike while trying not to drop her precious cargo.

Off we went to get washed up and bandaged and on the way back to my desk, she looked up at me with those big, brown eyes and asked, “Do you like working here?”

I told her I do and the reason is simple, I get to meet people like her.

She left my office, newspapers in a grocery bag, and a couple pieces of candy richer. I hope she realizes that she’ll always have a friend here and Serenity, if you’re reading this, hope your knee is better.

My other new friend is 10-year-old Ashton. I met Ashton while shooting Pittsburg football two-a-day practice last week. I sat down on the sidelines next to him and asked if we were far enough away from the action to not get tackled.

He assured me that we were and stayed sure of that assessment until the next drill sent two players flying by us.

He cocked his head at me. “You may need to move back,” he said, grinning.

“Nope,” I said, “I’ll just sit far enough behind you that they get you first.”

He laughed, and we started chatting. I figured he was there to watch an older brother or maybe he was serving as water boy. In fact, he didn’t know anyone on the team and just wanted to spend his summer day watching the team and supporting them.

He’s really more of a basketball guy, he said, but he did tell me who to watch out for this season – Hugo Fluellen and Quin Edney. Stay strong, guys, because little ones are looking up to you.

I snapped several pics of the players, then turned my attention to the scoreboard, the field, random mouth guards tossed to the ground, etc.

Ashton looked at me, one eye squinted, skeptical. “You put a picture like that in the paper?”

Well sure, I told him. Why not? There’s more to life than just what’s moving. Appreciate the simple stuff.

“Maybe I’ll work for the newspaper when I grow up,” he said.

I think that’s a capital idea, Ashton. I invited him to come to the office and let me show him around. I hope he takes me up on the offer. Even if he doesn’t, I hope he remembers to look around and appreciate the little things.

Above all, I was reminded this week of all the little eyes on all of us. They aren’t just watching the football players and cheerleaders. They don’t just look up to preachers and teachers. They look to all of us and we all better be giving them a good example to follow.