My life has been touched by a celebrity!

Not counting the time I served fish and chips to Charlie Daniels, I don't make a habit of running into famous people. Maybe it's because I've always lived in places with populations under 1000. Some of them significantly less than 1000. Our last home in TN was so small we didn't even qualify for a post office. And that old saying about not needing your turn signal in small towns because everybody knows where you're going? It was never truer than in Noodleville.

When Ben called yesterday morning and yelled, "HI!" into the phone, I knew he was a tad spun up, but in the good sense. So I gave him an energetic, "HI" right back. The following conversation ensued:

Ben: Guess who was in the gym this morning!

Me: I don't know. Who?

Ben: Karen K. (a gal from church)

This did not impress me and I wondered why he was so excited about this. I see her in the gym all the time. But he was still talking loud and fast, so I decided not to write him off just yet.

Me: OK.

Ben: Guess who else was in the gym this morning!

Me: No idea.

Ben: It's a New York Metropolitan!!!!

Me: You mean, of the baseball variety?

Ben has been a die-hard Mets fan since the age of 9 when they won the World Series, then proceeded to stink until 1986, when they won another World Series and went back to stinking.

Ben: (shouting now) I MET JOHN MAINE IN THE GYM THIS MORNING!

Me: Isn't he a pitcher?

Ben (if I could caps the caps I would to show how loudly he was shouting at me. Surely everyone in his building at work was listening to his end of this conversation.) YES!!!

And he proceeded to tell me how he walked right up to John and said, "Hey John, tell Omar (the VP or maybe the manager or someone important in charge of paying players) to save the 12.5 million and pay . . ." I can't remember the details, but they conversed about who was getting traded, who was getting hired, why they didn't need another pitcher, etc. And he was clearly on cloud nine. I'm sure no one else in the gym knew who John was (I wouldn't have) and the poor guy thought he would get in a quiet workout. But never fear, Ben is near.

Be thankful ~

Karen