By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
While eating at Walker’s on Friday, a group of Olive Hill firefighters came in for lunch. As long as there isn’t a crowd backed up waiting for a table, I try to linger wherever I eat lunch anymore; setting up my laptop and taking advantage of the ambient background hum – and lack of household distractions – to get a little work done.
Some folks would find this distracting, but I can tune the cacophony out easier than I can the singular stream of a television set in the next room. But even if it all blends into a white noise, you still pick out little things. Some you can’t help. Some you have to focus on.
But if you do sit quietly in a place like this, and let it all wash over you – picking out what you can or what catches your attention – you notice things about your community.
You notice the way folks work. You notice habits of ritual (and reveal a few of your own). You notice the way folks treat servers – which can provide real insight into character.
Speaking of character, you’ll see characters who think they’re getting away with something. And you’ll see the definition of character when you see business owners who smile and hand out another roll, or handful of crackers packets, or extra order of fries, because they know about the other person’s needs. It’s something I’ve actually seen a few times; and it was equal parts amusing, heartwarming, and heartbreaking to see the same person one afternoon at Tyler’s I had seen at Walker’s a week before.
This last Friday at Walker’s, what I saw was also something I’ve seen before, but something that makes me smile, nonetheless, every time it happens.
When the firefighters went to pay for their meals they were told someone had already taken care of their ticket. The natural response from them was, “who?” They were told, however, that the person wanted to remain anonymous.
Like I said, it’s not the first time I’ve seen this, and it reaffirms my faith in people.
In a world full of precisely tailored social media posts designed to broadcast our altruism, it’s nice to see someone who cares more about doing something good than being seen to do something good. Like those businesses that let hungry people keep their dignity. And anonymous patrons of firefighters and first responders.
Those of you who don’t let your left hand know what the right hand is doing, it’s noticed. We may not know exactly who all of you are (which is the point), but we thank you.
Jeremy D. Wells can be reached at editor@cartercountytimes.com
