250 Words on Ewoks

[I try to start my day writing 250 words on anything. I’ll post one every Monday until I run out of good ones.]

In college, I knew a girl named Debbie. We worked together on our university’s bus system, called Unitrans. I drove double-decker buses and Debbie was one of the conductors who took fares, rang stops, and kept riders safe. It was a fun job.

During school breaks, Debbie made movies. She once returned talking about playing an Ewok in the next Star Wars film. Nobody knew what an Ewok was. You can see her in Return of the Jedi; she’s the one who crawls over to mourn its dead mate. Under layers of latex and fur, she’s heartbreaking.

Debbie had a tremendous career after graduation. She played Thumbelina in Total Recall, the Tiny Avenger in In Living Color, and had roles in Seinfeld, Men in Black, ER, Boston Legal, Grace and Frankie, and much more. 

I saw her signing autographs at Comic-Con International in San Diego a couple of times. I wanted to stop to say hello but her queue was always long and I was always on my way to something else. I even knew my opening line. “I bet I can say one word that will make your entire day,” I would have said, before pausing and adding: “Unitrans.” Next time.

You know where this is going. Debbie Lee Carrington died in 2018. Learn the lesson: take the opportunity, say hello, make someone’s day. You may not get another chance.

Some Star Wars fans dismiss Ewoks as a cynical merchandising ploy. Never me. It’s different when you knew one. 

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