Staying Thankful In The Midst Of Tragedy

The last few days have really set my head spinning. I cannot get the tragedies of Paris out of my mind.

It has taken me back to Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Like most of you, I remember exactly where I was when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center. I was stopped at a red light waiting for the left turn arrow, right across from our office. While listening to sports radio, the hosts started screaming. I got into the office, turned on the TV and stared incredulously. After a few moments, I immediately called my house to tell our nanny to keep our 4-year-old home from preschool and stay in the house with our newborn and 1-year-old.

The next days were a blur of tears, fear, sadness and constant staring at the TV, watching the tragedy over and over. Like many, I realized that the way of life we had enjoyed was over forever and that my young children would grow up in a much different world than I.

Slowly and over many years, most of that life has returned to pre-9/11. We still have more issues at the airport than ever before and the United States is engaged in the longest running war it has ever been a part of. We have unfortunately become accustomed to the daily reports of the deaths of Americans and other people around the world as a result of the war and terrorism. However, most of us live without daily fear or daily hardships resulting from 9/11.

Last Friday, I was so busy I did not hear much about what was happening in Paris. I joined my wife, mother-in-law and 14-year-old son for dinner and the chatter at the restaurant was all about Paris. There was an unusually somber mood in a normally very lively restaurant. I went home and watched all the news coverage from Paris.

I could not help having most of those feelings from 2001 all over again. Paris is one of the most wonderful cities on earth. It has so much culture, history, energy and arrogance that make it amazing. The people of Paris are as proud of their city as any I have come across in my travels. Unfortunately, in a short amount of time, life in Paris changed. It may return to its glory and hopefully it does so soon, but it will never be exactly the same. I am sure that many people are cancelling trips there and there will be reticence to travel to Europe in the foreseeable future.

In the next week, we in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. For as long as I can remember, I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. Growing up, we always had big family Thanksgivings with people either coming to us from out of state or our family traveling somewhere. I have always associated Thanksgiving with a touch football game in the yard, football on the TV and a wonderfully indulgent meal with lots of laughs. As I got older, I relished Thanksgiving as a family day that was not associated with religion or political agenda.

Every year at our meal, with a gathering of no less than 12 people and as many as 33, we go around the table and share what each of us are thankful for in our lives. 

Despite all of the chaos in the world, I would argue that we have quite a bit to be thankful for. We live in a country where my daughter can attend college and wear whatever she chooses. A woman can also be the frontrunner for president of the United States. An entrepreneur and sometime TV personality can run for president no matter how outrageous he may be. An African-American man can be president and another African-American can be a real possibility for the office. There are not too many other countries in the world that hav those opportunities.

Our profession has offered us the opportunity to do what we love and help people. It has also allowed us to make a pretty good living along the way. The average podiatrist’s salary puts us in the top 1 percent of the world for yearly income. We can provide for our families and enjoy the fruits of our labors. We can participate in community and charitable organizations.

We can complain about Medicare cuts, insurance reimbursement issues, malpractice problems, patient problems, colleague problems, and other issues in our lives both personal and professional. However, I think we have it pretty good compared to most in the world.

I am sure most of you used September 11, 2001 as a time for self-assessment and reflection. If you were like me, you took inventory on your life and promised yourself you would not waste a day. Unfortunately, many promises are broken. 

I would urge you on this Thanksgiving to think about how you felt on September 11, 2001 and don’t let the lives of those who perished in Paris go unforgotten. Most were like you and me and just taking on every day with vigor. On this Thanksgiving Day, truly reflect on what you are thankful for.