Cheers to a ‘Decent’ New Year 2022, PLEASE?!?

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 01/2/2022

Well, that was another hellacious, exhausting year, punctuated by a Covid encore, resembling more of a perpetual ‘purgatory’ than a joyous crescendo. We’re on an unenviable 5-year roll in America. Like many of you, I personally know more people who recently tested positive, than at any other time since the plague’s invasion. Reflections of ‘gratitude’ become more of an important, elusive challenge at the conclusion of years like 2021. I believe there is a just tendency to downsize our grandiose, forward-thinking expectations during these precarious times. ‘Reality Bites’ is more than ever ominous, foreboding, and true…

The clichéd, “Happy” New Year, despite good intentions, reminds me of the unsolicited, “You should smile more!” exclamation from grating, perky humans, without even a patronizing greeting first… And ‘Happy’ is subjective and personal. (I know, ‘issues,’ but I’m a jaded optimist.)

While gathering questionnaire responses for my book and blog, one server replied to “Advice for customers?” with, “Despite all of the requests for big tips, I believe that, more importantly, most servers wish that all of their customers would just be decent humans.” Amen. Bring on a ‘decent’ in 2022…

In that spirit of simplification, I’m sharing the same message here with SNS readers that I did with my 9 siblings on New Year’s Eve:

And a supplement on Instagram; Looking forward to following through on those walks, coffee/tea connections, drinks, BBQ’s, diner breakfasts, ‘breaking bread,’ field trips, and live chats we keep postponing… (Let’s make these happen.) In the recent words of America’s Poet, Amanda Gorman, “Whether we like it or not, we are in this together.”

Speaking of walks, the pic of the bird in the upper left of this post is a Great Blue Heron that I frequently see in the water at Hall’s Pond Sanctuary, a short distance from my home. On New Year’s Day, it was perched in a tree due to the colder water, according to a chatty nature enthusiast I met.

Stan Grossfield, two-time Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist in today’s Boston Globe Magazine, 1/2/22. Fly Me to The Moon: The space race you never knew about: Stan Grossfield’s NASA competition with Walter Cronkite:

In some circles photojournalists are treated like second-class citizens. “Are you a reporter or do you JUST take the photos?” has always annoyed me. Actually, I do both. If there was only one seat, why not send me?

[Sound familiar servers and bartenders?!? “What’s your REAL job?”]

Stan continues: I no longer want to go into space. That money would be better spentsaving our beloved Earth and trying to unite these Un-united States. As the worst epidemic of the past century continues to divide us, I wish we could just take a giant leap forward together, be kinder to each other, and spread some good karma around this beautiful planet we all share. 

Gratitude 2021: Frontline Workers, Scientists, Family, Small Victories, Sibling Safety and Health, #5 #MiddleKidsForLife, Loyal Friends, Generosity, Kindness, Empathy, Compassion, Teachers, Nurses, Doctors, Nature, Journalistic Integrity, Trust, Medicine, #SwimClub, Peace of Mind, Walks & Hope.

To support the mission and expedite the publication of the Server Not Servant book, please consider a contribution on Venmo @Patrick-Maguire-32 (last 4 digits of cell: 5682) or click on “Support Server Not Servant” in the blue box on the right-hand side of this post. Please contact me for personal and corporate sponsorships via email: patrick@servernotservant.com. Cheers-Patrick


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