Many people around the world do very special things that deserve our thanks and appreciation. My list this year will include, though, some out of the ordinary cases. The idea came to me some time ago, when I took notice of how my life in small and trivial as well as big and important ways has been or is affected by some people. In each case, it is what they have chosen to do that if it were absent it would have left me missing or not experiencing something that added a thing of value to life. I am sure each one of you have such people in your lives. So, I want to share that special list.
First, my thanks go to the newspaper delivery person that makes sure I have a paper to read as early as 7 o’clock or even earlier. I have enjoyed drinking my cup of coffee while catching up with the news of the world for as far back as I remember. But for me to enjoy this, the delivery person wakes up in the wee hours of the day and then, sunshine, rain or snow, delivers the newspapers. And this is not the only job he or she has. After completing their rounds, they usually have a second job to go to.
Next, my thanks go to those who operate diners. If you live in my part of the woods, suburban Long Island, and it is later than 9 pm, and you need to have dinner, good luck. And it’s not just dinner. You want a late-night coffee or snack? Same thing. Long Island used to be called a bedroom community in relation to New York City. People worked in the city and came to Long Island to eat and sleep. So restaurant close relatively early. Greek-Americans have made many contributions to America. But the almost 24-hour diner with the “everything you can eat or drink” menu is a true gift of convenience. To run a diner is a tough business. Work starts around 4 in the morning and continues until 2 or 4 am the next day. That’s why diners are run by relatives who take turns. Whenever I am in a diner, I remind myself I am the beneficiary of a very harsh schedule.
And talking of restaurants, I want to thank the owners of “Harry”, a family restaurant in Varkiza (you know… the home of Yabanaki beach) where my family spends time in the summer. “Harry” (also the owner’s name) is part of a disappearing type of restaurants; the ones where you can find homemade style meals. It’s a lot easier and faster to prepare steaks, gyro and souvlaki. At “Harry”’s, though, you can eat traditional meals. I am thankful to the “Harry” family for keeping alive the Greek culinary tradition. Harry’s father who is 80 or so years old is the salesman of the restaurant. To order, you go inside where all the meals of the day are displayed in trays along a counter. The old man, Mr. Vassilis, calls out the names of the meals reserving the most colorful words for the “dishes of the day”. Here is the very fresh mackerel baked in fresh tomatoes and garlic, and there is the delicious pasticcio. As you point to each tray, Mr. Vassilis takes notes in his little notebook. Then you go out – no body eats inside in Greece during the summer – you choose your table and the food and drinks are promptly served. Mr. Vassilis knows his regular customers well. When he sees us for the first time of our summer stay, he welcomes us back. Last summer, I had started to worry that “Harry” may close for lack of business. I was disabused of my fear when one night, not even 9 o’clock, we showed up at “Harry”’s only to see Mr. Vassilis and his family leaving. To my question “why so early?”, the answer was “We are out of food. Everything went.” I was disappointed I had missed a dinner at “Harry”’s but happy as well that “Harry” is not going anywhere any time soon.
The next three people may surprise you for making it in my list. They are Brett Stephens, David Brooks and Peggy Noonan. I thank them because they give me a thoughtful conservative perspective on what’s happening in our country. So, they check my liberal predilections that could push me off the guard rails. Peggy Noonan writes for the Wall Street Journal but her pieces are more centrist than the majority of the WSJ readers would like. Brett Stephens and David Brooks write for the New York Times and they are more to the center-right than the NYT readers would prefer. All three, therefore, do not write for the choir. I bet they get a lot of unfriendly mail. What they do, though, takes courage.
Two years ago, and on the way to Stockholm, we had to stop in Paris due to a medical emergency. A Romanian young lady, a French-African man and a French young lady were the doctors who took care of the problem. They, and their supervising doctors, spared no test and exam (including an MRI) in their effort to find a diagnosis. After seven hours of meticulous medical attention and having found nothing serious, they let us go. Neither on the way in or the way out of the hospital we were stopped by any clerk to check our medical insurance cards or ask us to fill out payment responsibility forms. All they knew was that they had a medical case to solve. The French National Health System provides this type of service every day to everyone who needs care. The system is not broken financially or in regards to health outcomes. Actually, in several critical health indicators France is ahead of the US. Contrast that to your visit to an American hospital or doctor’s office. The first or second inquiry has to do with who pays for the services to be rendered. Think of that. The secular French act like the Samaritan woman of the New Testament. I think we do need to think seriously about humanizing our medical care system.
After completing medical school, doctors have to decide in which health area they want to specialize. Most select lucrative fields. After all, who can blame them in light of the huge debts they have accumulated. But there are doctors who choose to go into health areas that afflict very few individuals, thus accepting a more precarious future. One of these doctors works at Winthrop/NYU Langone Medical Center. Back in the 1980’s he saw the devastating consequences of an extremely rare syndrome and he chose to dedicate his professional life to the victims of this syndrome. Thanks to his endless and passionate work he inspired doctors around the world to take notice and join their efforts to improving the lives of a small number of kids. Today, children born with this syndrome grow to have better lives, with fewer medical problems, and a better chance to live “normal” lives.
It is sometimes worth reflecting on what the career choices of others mean for us and what we could be missing in their absence. Then we can start to recognize how interdependent we are. And how lucky.
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Gratefulness! Really great post, George.
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