Holiday thoughts

Today as Christmas, unless you somehow missed it and haven't heard about it, and many people celebrate it but not all. Recently a friend was blogging about how Christmas for her is different - she's Jewish and its her birthday. She doesn't get to celebrate her birthday on her birthday with her non-Jewish friends. The goyim are all doing Christian things like going to church and opening gifts. Other people have their own holidays to celebrate - Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or other holidays at different that occur at different times in the year.

Whatever the holiday there are always are a few consistencies. Families who celebrate it get together and do their thing - usually eat, sometimes gifts or religious services too. Families who do not celebrate do their usual thing. Some holidays require businesses to be closed by law. Some holidays allow businesses to be open. Usually there are some kinds of restaurants open for non-holiday celebrants as well.

But there is one thing we should never forget there are some people who do not get holidays - think about it what is always working 24/7: public safety, military, medical professionals, emergency management people - do you think the guy at the nuclear power plant who is in charge of making sure there aren't leaks ever gets time off? Isn't someone supervising the internet somewhere to make sure a server doesn't crash - and tell me with all the servers in the world one of them is bound to crash every day.

On a holiday, I am sure all these professions allow for some juggling - well maybe not the military - to let people spend time with their families or allow them to trade off each year. But there is always someone there. If you are hospitalized, you don't get a day off to go home for a holiday meal - if you could they would send you away. If you are in a car accident or something, you don't have to wait until tomorrow to get fixed up in an emergency room - and the firemen, police officers, and EMS are all there to take care of you.

This past Friday, December 23, I had a doctor appointment at 3:10 pm. When I scheduled it I didn't think much of the timing of it but when I arrived at the hospital, it was clear it was a very slow time. The parking garage had several primo spots available. The waiting rooms were mostly empty. I was one of three people sitting in a waiting room which usually has a constant flow of patients and staffers in and out was very quiet. My doctor was running late and I didn't leave until well after 4pm. I had to stop by admitting where there was a single, young woman working. Even though it was a quiet time, everyone I saw was cheerful, pleasant, caring, and happy to do their job. They weren't complaining that they were some of the last employees in the hospital right before a holiday.

I saw this article earlier last week reminding us to thank all our nurses on Christmas for their care. I think there is a lot more than that. We need to thank all of those people who take care of us and make sure we are safe and healthy at all times. Holidays should be for everybody but we couldn't survive them without some help.

PS Happy birthday, Judy!