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Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534; fax (706) 265-3276; or email to editor@dawsonnews.com.
DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,2019
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
SUDIE CROUCH
Columnist
These are
my people
I consider myself more of an animal person
than a people person.
In fact, I tend to prefer the company of ani
mals over humans about 99.9999% of the
time.
“Animals are not jerks; if they do some
thing, they
have a good
reason for it,” I
stated one day.
“Why did
Doodle bark at
me then?”
Mama asked.
The only per
son the pittie-
mix has ever barked at is Mama.
“Because you undoubtedly deserved it.” I
replied. “Animals are so much better than peo
ple. I think I just really don't like people.”
“Now, baby,” my uncle began. “Don’t be
like that. Animals are wonderful and love us,
but we need people.”
“No, we don't,” I said.
He tsked-tsked under his breath. “Yes, we
do. baby. Don't be hating your fellow man. We
need one another. Dogs, cats, and all those
other critters you love are good. They give us
unconditional love and bring us joy. But we
need people.”
As much as I adore my uncle, I disagreed.
People could be rude, hateful, surly. They
would lie to you, were untrustworthy, and
would take advantage of you if they could.
“You are describing the way the little pit
treats me,” Mama interrupted my list of people
complaints to declare.
“Baby, people ain’t that bad,” my uncle said
gently. “And people need people. You gotta
start looking for the good in them. Or all you
will find is the flaws.”
It was shocking to hear my uncle say such
things. Not because he was normally so quiet
but because he is an ardent animal lover. I
thought for sure he preferred the company of
animals to people, too.
Mama can get on to me about something
and I pay her nary a bit of attention. She is
_—-
always fussing about something I do or say.
But if my sweet, kind-hearted uncle says
anything, I take notice.
Did I need to look for the goodness in peo-
“
pie?
It could be so hard, or at least that is how it
felt to me.
1
I stood by my earlier litany; people were
often not as warm and cuddly as a puppy or a
kitten.
Granny didn't seem to like most people. She
didn’t seem to like most animals either though,
only finding an affinity for Mama’s Bennie
when the little fluffy feline snarled at her.
In retrospection, I even questioned if Granny
liked us sometimes.
So, how would I start to like people more?
What should I look for?
I thought of the one or two friends I have and
what I liked about them.
They were animal lovers, like me.
They were introverts,
like me.
They held views about life that were similar
to mine.
These, these were my
people.
But what about other
people?
The individuals who will save every receipt
just in case they need it, then throw it out the
day before something needs returning?
The mothers who have packed a Lunchable
in their child’s bag on more than one morning
because they didn't feel like bagging carrots
and making something healthy?
The people that don't have voicemail on any
of their phones because they aren't going to
check it or return a call anyway?
The ones that change into their jammies the
minute they come home?
Those, each and every one. are my people as
well. Even if I didn't know them.
But what about those that didn’t share all
those things?
What did that mean
about them?
My uncle, with his infinite wisdom, would
tell me that they needed to be loved any way as
a fellow
human being.
Even the ones that I disagreed with, the ones
that held different likes, attitudes, opinions, and
views?
I knew what he was going to say before he
said it.
“But
He shook his head without saying a word.
My ‘but’ was not going to get very far in this
argument.
Those people needed to be my people, too.
Even if they were unlovable, critical, and had
a crappy attitude at times.
They may be the very ones in need of
belonging to someone the most.
“Those aren’t my people though,” I muttered.
“They don’t have to be your people,” my
uncle began, “but you still have to love
them.”
So, in a way, I guess they are my people.
The furry creatures are still tops in my
book by a country mile though.
Sudie Crouch is an award winning humor col
umnist and author of the recently e-published
novel, "The Dahlman Files: ATony Dahlman
Paranormal Mystery."
—■
"Relax. I'm not doing anything risky
like revising state academic standards!"
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TELLER
"This will be an easy one. He didn't stop to get a flu shot."
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