Not all heroes wear capes
This is a maxim many are taught as children, and we learn to see the beat cop walking the street or the firefighters as the unsung heroes of our communities. Generally, by adulthood we have lost this star eyed, rose tinted glasses, view of the world, in favor of a clear, clinical and often cynical worldview which is only really put down around the closest of friends and loved ones. Along with this clearer way of viewing the world we often fail to see the everyday heroes. The doctors and nurses caring for the sick and injured, cops, firefighters, social workers and every day civilians going about their daily lives in ordinary times. These are not ordinary times. Our nation - and in many ways our world - is under attack by an illness, that frankly scares the carpi diem out of me. One, it often feels, we cannot fight. Now with large portions of our population in quarantine, largely empty streets, alarming jumps in the numbers of those affected, and row upon row of empty toilet paper shelves, the situation may seem incredibly bleak. But I implore you all to think about the unsung heroes in our lives. Consider the doctors, nurses and medical staff risking their lives for those in their communities. Consider the grocery store employees doing their best to keep our nation supplied. But also think about the car manufactures who have switched to manufacturing desperately needed medical supplies. The breweries who have learned how to make hand sanitizer. The teachers who continue to educate the children who are our future. Consider the thousands of retired doctors and other medical personnel who came out of retirement when it became clear they were needed across Europe. Consider the plane bound from Atlanta to New York packed full of medical professionals answering the call for help. Consider the 9-yr. old boy in Ridgefield, Washington who learned how to play happy birthday and a few other songs on his violin so he could go stand outside of the homes of people in his neighborhood and play a few songs for children’s birthdays. A property owner who built a 60,000 square foot facility destined to become a wedding destination and retail center that has been donated for use as a makeshift hospital. The CEO of a company who gave up his salary to keep front-line workers in his company paid and as safe as possible. The young doctor who reported for work in a disease-ravaged country despite the lack of protective gear and gave his life to save others. Consider the nail salons and tattoo artists who have begun dropping off their unused stores of masks and gloves at hospitals around the USA in a bid to protect our medical professionals. Consider the story of Giampiero Giron (85) who performed the first heart surgery in Italy and is already a legend for his early work, who shocked his nation by showing up when the call came out requesting that retired doctors who were physically able return to work. And finally, consider the grief and the pride of 90-year-old Suzanne Hoylaerts’s family, when Suzanne died after she refused a respirator amid the critical shortage telling her doctor “Save it for the youngest, I’ve already had a beautiful life.” Time ahead of us are going to be hard, and they are going to be categorized by fear, and by loss. Let’s make sure they also come to be categorized by the strength of our people, by the bonds of our communities and the love and the strength we share with one another in these difficult times. To my colleague, to my friends, stay strong we WILL get through this.
This is a maxim many are taught as children, and we learn to see the beat cop walking the street or the firefighters as the unsung heroes of our communities. Generally, by adulthood we have lost this star eyed, rose tinted glasses, view of the world, in favor of a clear, clinical and often cynical worldview which is only really put down around the closest of friends and loved ones. Along with this clearer way of viewing the world we often fail to see the everyday heroes. The doctors and nurses caring for the sick and injured, cops, firefighters, social workers and every day civilians going about their daily lives in ordinary times. These are not ordinary times. Our nation - and in many ways our world - is under attack by an illness, that frankly scares the carpi diem out of me. One, it often feels, we cannot fight. Now with large portions of our population in quarantine, largely empty streets, alarming jumps in the numbers of those affected, and row upon row of empty toilet paper shelves, the situation may seem incredibly bleak. But I implore you all to think about the unsung heroes in our lives. Consider the doctors, nurses and medical staff risking their lives for those in their communities. Consider the grocery store employees doing their best to keep our nation supplied. But also think about the car manufactures who have switched to manufacturing desperately needed medical supplies. The breweries who have learned how to make hand sanitizer. The teachers who continue to educate the children who are our future. Consider the thousands of retired doctors and other medical personnel who came out of retirement when it became clear they were needed across Europe. Consider the plane bound from Atlanta to New York packed full of medical professionals answering the call for help. Consider the 9-yr. old boy in Ridgefield, Washington who learned how to play happy birthday and a few other songs on his violin so he could go stand outside of the homes of people in his neighborhood and play a few songs for children’s birthdays. A property owner who built a 60,000 square foot facility destined to become a wedding destination and retail center that has been donated for use as a makeshift hospital. The CEO of a company who gave up his salary to keep front-line workers in his company paid and as safe as possible. The young doctor who reported for work in a disease-ravaged country despite the lack of protective gear and gave his life to save others. Consider the nail salons and tattoo artists who have begun dropping off their unused stores of masks and gloves at hospitals around the USA in a bid to protect our medical professionals. Consider the story of Giampiero Giron (85) who performed the first heart surgery in Italy and is already a legend for his early work, who shocked his nation by showing up when the call came out requesting that retired doctors who were physically able return to work. And finally, consider the grief and the pride of 90-year-old Suzanne Hoylaerts’s family, when Suzanne died after she refused a respirator amid the critical shortage telling her doctor “Save it for the youngest, I’ve already had a beautiful life.” Time ahead of us are going to be hard, and they are going to be categorized by fear, and by loss. Let’s make sure they also come to be categorized by the strength of our people, by the bonds of our communities and the love and the strength we share with one another in these difficult times. To my colleague, to my friends, stay strong we WILL get through this.
