Kindness best remembrance for recent loss

Recently, Las Vegas, N.M., lost a prominent citizen. William Smith, better known to just about everyone as Skip, wasn’t a man of great power or influence in our community, but more people knew him than not. Even his actual name has been “new” news. Facebook posts about him and the images shared are revealing; his smile is unforgettable. He is still inscrutable. A mystery.

Las Vegas is just the right size for someone like Skip to have been a prominent, recognizable personality. One of the loveliest characteristics of our town has always been the acceptance of our eccentric, nonconforming fellow citizens. We should treasure that.

While some likely have diagnosable issues or addictions, only when they are especially aggressive or hostile is there an issue. “Just don’t scare the tourists!”

Skip was rarely hassled or reported to the police, even when his behavior was ... sometimes, indelicate. And it was ... sometimes. We just told him to move on and to have a good day. And he moved on. He really moved.

He was often seen on the main streets, but rarely in the residential neighborhoods. His long legs carried him so quickly around town that there were rumors he had a twin. Imagine the stories a pedometer could tell.

And, now he’s gone. Another will likely take his place for the next generation.

But there is still so much we don’t know, and we may never know enough to understand. We are just beginning to learn about how he died, and we don’t know much about how he lived, either. All we know is that he may become that man of influence after all.

Plans for a candlelight vigil at Plaza Park are underway, and a casual outdoors remembrance seems appropriate.

The way we choose to remember Skip may say more about us than it will say about him.

We could build a monument or donate to a fancy funeral. As a unique, valuable human being, he certainly deserves recognition. But if we want to build a monument to Skip, let’s build it where it will endure for generations.

Let’s be kind instead.

Let’s remember Skip by working together for a better life for these wounded ones. Let’s open a recreation center for those who need a place to hang out. Let’s keep bags with juice or water and cheese and crackers and energy bars in our cars, along with the dates and times meals are served at our local soup kitchens. Let’s donate food, money or time to shelters and programs.

Let’s never ever say, “Not in my backyard” to anything that provides support for the addicted, the struggling, the lost, the broken of body, mind or soul. They are already walking through our backyards and streets and alleys to get to the soup kitchen or the mental health clinic or their boarding home.

Let’s learn their names and greet them like neighbors.

Now that would be a fitting tribute.

— Las Vegas Optic