By Al Hooper

Most of us know whos important in our lives. Its our baristas. These cheery chicks (and dudes) show up at the temple every morning just to inject us with our life-giving caffeine transfusions.

Ah, nirvana! Love at first bite!

Such Florence Nightingales belong on a stamp. As do the restaurant waitresses (and waiters) who rush to our rescue when malnutrition is imminent.

How important are they? In a word, very.

But dont bother telling it to the media marketers who make it their business to define our priorities. This sly cabal has trapped us in a twilight culture that thinks wallowing in the demise of a pop singer like Michael Jackson makes some kind of morbid sense.

From a marketing standpoint, perhaps it does.

Theres plenty of incentive to deify the dead.

Anyone who believes the late singer was an irreplaceable icon is a potential customer for the products he left behind. For a sales primer, you need look no further than Elvis Presley, whose post-mortem earnings now dwarf what he earned in his lifetime.

Just the other day a lock of Elviss hair sold on eBay for $150,000. Yr Obedt Servt would rather not know the going rate for a pair of the warblers used shorts.

Of course his beneficiaries say theyd happily give all the money back just to hear Elvis sing one more time. Happily, theyll never be tested.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, real people are being tested all the time.

For most of us, its a normal condition.

EXAMPLE: Peggy Pritchard Olson.

Her peers agree that Peggy Olson is the most respected Edmonds City Council member in the pantheon. But last year she was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease).

What changed for her? Only everything.

Since ALS is a neurodegenerative disease, Peggy eventually lost her motor skills. Then her voice. What she didnt lose was her commitment to helping others.

And so, week after week, you saw her assume her place at City Council meetings, listen to the arguments, and then record her vote. By push-button.

For Peggy Pritchard Olson, the legacy of her father Joel Pritchard was always a source of pride and comfort. Her father served a total of 28 years in the Legislature, the U.S. Congress, and as Washingtons Lieutenant Governor.

The daughter may have been speaking for both of them last year when she said, Getting involved in your community is the best thing youll ever do. And thats true for everyone.

EXAMPLE No. 2: Brendon McCallum.

An Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate with strong athletic skills, Brendon was 27 years old in July of 2007 when he dove into a swimming pool at his apartment complex, struck bottom, nearly drowned, and emerged a quadriplegic.

The doctors said right out of surgery Id never have any movement or feeling below my shoulders, Brendon recalls.

But after months of grueling rehab, there came this moment: I've gained feeling all the way to my toes! Not 100 percent feeling, but I can feel touch and pressure.

Today young Brendon, whose mother is well-known local designer and art dealer Marni Muir, continues his intensive therapy. Its a grind. To get around he uses a wheelchair controlled by a sip-and-puff system. How hard you puff determines where you go.

It was tough to learn, Brendon admits. But Im a pro at it now. Smiling

Im thankful just to be alive, he says. Those who know me know Ill keep smiling. Thats just me. They know Ill enjoy life to the fullest.

People like Peggy Olson and Brendon McCallum share a gift. Somehow, despite their own circumstances, they have the strength to inspire others.

Peggy cant talk, but you read her thoughts in her eyes. Her eyes say, Thank youbless you.

Brendon cant walk, but he lives each day with quiet courage and tells a departing visitor, Have a good one!

Peggy and Brendon are our real heroes.

Real people often are. Ask anybody.