A story on meeting new folks

Fame, Golden Threads In Our Lives I have met new people that came into my life in interesting and unusual ways; I once met a nun on an elevator in a building that had a very small elevator allowing only four people to be in at once. She and I became for about three minutes elevator buddies. She told me she lived in a house with an elevator and loved having one so she need not walk up to the higher floors. I thought her a rich lady living in a mansion, until she told me she was a nun and lived in a convent with the elevator. She was not a rich lady living in an elegant building; she had the unusual type of mechanics raising her to higher levels; without having to walk the stairs. I thought it an interesting story. One day many years ago, I was riding an elevator in a building at 1206 York Road here in Baltimore County. That day in the newspaper, they warned people that a short man wearing a black leather coat, a black leather hat and black leather trousers carrying a black leather briefcase was going into offices in buildings and trying to rob the secretaries. He only tried doing this in small offices where there were only one or two employees. I was getting ready to go into this elevator when a man of that description entered alongside of me. I thought, dear mother who has been gone many years, help to save me, dear God, help to save me. I will give him any jewelry I was wearing, just let me live. He started talking to me, I was shaking in my boots and he finally said “Miss, I want to ask you a question. Are you wearing Poison cologne (a brand name from Sebastian)? I just love that scent.” I shakily answered that I was. He said “have a good day.” He exited the elevator leaving me astonished and happy to be alive. I will never know if that was the robber or just a man looking like the paper photo. Looking back, although scary at the time, it is a good story to relate to folks. My children and I met Danny Thomas in an elevator in Atlantic City and he was always on television acting like he was a fine and decent person. Perhaps, he was, but that day ,he was very obnoxious to two kids who were so starry eyed to see a celebrity who was very popular at that time. Another time, we met Don Ameche who was starring in a current movie then called Cocoon and he was very nice to the kids and he acted like he was honored that they recognized him. A difference between two actors, one presenting himself honorably, the other appearing unpleasant. Mom and I met an actress in the hotel lobby in Pikesville named Molly Picon.She was what was called then a character actress in the then Yiddish theater. She was sweet and happy that Mom recognized her and hugged us. We met Henny Youngman, the comedian who was famous for the line “please take my wife.” He too was kind and funny when we asked for his autograph. I have met famous ballroom dancers known mainly to people who ballroom dance. Some are quite friendly and happy you know who they are and others are aloof, as if you are bothering them. Of course, now with Dancing With The Stars on television several times a year for thirteen weeks each, many are more recognizable from the TV screen. Longfellow said “fame is footprints on the sand of time The nun and I recognized in each other in that brief three to five minutes encounter, that here were two women, her a patron of God and this was her vocation and I, a young woman and mom and we had something in common. She had the vehicle, an elevator she used every day and this thing was scary for me. She saw me off the elevator on my floor and said “I will pray for you often.” How dear she was because I told her I did not like to ride elevators alone. The man in the black leather outfit only wanted to compliment me on my scent; instead, I was scared to even talk to him because of my perception, that he was that robber. He got off and said again that he loved that scent and was going to buy a bottle that day for his wife. I am thinking, it surely is an odd name Poison for a sweet aroma. Maybe the name Poison scared me although; I had used it for many years before I met this leather outfitted man. The actors who were pleasant left a nice impression, the actor who was not wiped out of my mind what I had been thinking seeing him in his weekly television show, that portrayed him as an everyday kind fellow; that it was a shame he did not show in real life himself to be more of the television character he played. The ballroom professional dancers who were pleasant to other amateur dancers show they are really divine not only in their dancing; but in their public actions. The other ones who are not so nice show that even though they may be high up in the dance hierarchy, they are still low on life’s list. The moral or theme of this story is that try to be yourself in whatever you do, try to enhance someone else’s life if you meet them in a chance crossing of paths with new people in your life. Let someone remember you, even if you do not know their name and they do not know your name. I have met hundreds of people via the email and the internet. We know each other through our emailing, through my articles and through their own accomplishments that they relate to me. Often, I use their words and tell of their actions, jobs, accomplishments and happiness because they are important, being my unseen friends. They are seen in my mind and heart as real friends and if some day we should all meet, this will be a special and glorious happening. We will be happy to meet, happy to greet and we will all be sweet to each other. Longfellow summed it up correctly. Fame is a footprint not only in the sand of time, but in the beats of our hearts.We can be famous in our own way in the usual or unusual things we do daily; in the meeting of new people. We can be as a bit of fame in their life when we tell them our accomplishments and they can be a bit of fame in our life doing the same thing. It does not have to be something that is written up in People magazine or on the television shows such as Access Hollywood. Fame can be fleeting and still be remembered.We can recollect about something in our childhool that caught our fancy and the person who may have done this could have influenced our life. This is a thread of fame, the rendezvous we had with a special person that we have never seen again , can still kindle a spark in our heart and this could be called fame in our heart and soul. Fame does not have to be involving actors, sports personalities,senators,heads of countries etc. Fame that comes into our soul with a good rememberance is just as important as the meeting of one of the above mentioned. Actually,fame in our heart and soul can be more important than the fleeting moments of meeting well known people. Strangers, nuns, teachers,family members, neighbors, medical practioners in our lives bring their own brand of recognition to us. I have never met in person, my former editor of Cockeysville.Patch.com; however to me and for me, she is famous for what she accomplished. Nayana Davis let me articulate my thoughts on life, ballroom dancing and everything else. Nayana to me is famous and she allowed me in writing my columns to perhaps have a thread of golden fame too May I say, I have met another famous person who could become the president of the USA. Dr. Ben Carson and I have a picture of me with him and I had it blown up into a 16x20 canvas painting. He was very pleasant and charming and this was on April 6, 2013 before he became a presidental nominee. I shall never forget the few moments I had him "all to myself" standing in line waiting to get his current book on that day autographed. It was a bit of a golden thread in my life. elita sohmer clayman title is Fame, The Golden Thread In Our Life