Today's MOZEN: A Friend In Need

F LoBuono

People often ask me when my long love affair with my adopted hometown of Nyack, NY will wain, if not completely end. After all, in my 35 years here I must be aware of the many changes that have taken place, all of them not necessarily for the better, they say. Many of my neighbors are concerned that we are moving from a quaint river village to a trendy, gentrified, over-developed cliche.

Yes, we have changed. And, yes, some of those may not be in everyone's best interests. But, we live in one of the most competitive regions in the world. Here, life is synonymous with change. In fact, it is inevitable. Therefore, each community may be judged on what it chooses to accept in its march to the future and what it deems irreproachable, ie. their CORE values

At Nyack's center is a value that has not weakened in my 35 years here - and, that is each person's commitment to their neighbor. I saw it when I first moved here and, if anything, has only gotten even more pronounced.

I experienced it again this evening.

It's Thanksgiving, and as has been the case for the last 17 years, after a few hours with my family, I found myself at work. Even though I didn't spend a lot of time with them, at least I had the opportunity to visit and share some love. However, this is not the case for many of our friends and neighbors. They have no one and spend the entire day alone. Instead of a joy, this makes holidays a very difficult time for them. I believe that was the situation I encountered.

During a slow moment at work, I was surfing Facebook when I noticed what I originally thought was a comical post. It was a friend pleading that she was in danger of losing her mind. So, I teased back. But, it was not a joke. She was in serious mental distress. But, what was I to do? I was stuck in NYC and she was 25 miles away in Nyack. I wrote to her and asked her to hang on, I would get someone, somehow, to help.

Well, I never even had to pick up a phone to ask!

Other friends must have also seen the post and IMMEDIATELY began to Private Message me inquiring if everything was all right with her and what they could do to help. I mean within minutes, I had at least a half dozen people inquire what might be wrong. One women who lived close by volunteered to walk to the woman's apartment to see if she could help directly. And, despite it being a Holiday with RECORD LOW TEMPS, that's exactly what she did. And, there were many others willing to do the same thing!

She did, indeed, find our friend in crisis. She calmed her and called for an ambulance. Then, she waited until the paramedics arrived to take control of the situation. Now, she will receive the care she desperately needed. And, as I mentioned, there were others willing to do the same thing. They were not worried that it was late in the evening or that it was bitter cold. All they knew was that they had a friend in trouble and they would do anything necessary to help.

To protect everyone's privacy, I have not revealed any names. That's not necessary at this point. What is, however, important to note is how many people cared enough to reach out to a neighbor in need, without reservation AND with great and genuine concern. In fact, I'm still getting inquiries as to what our friend's current condition may be. I am happy to say that, for now, she is safe.

I want to thank everyone who was involved with this crisis for their kindness, compassion, and genuine caring. THIS is what Thanksgiving AND Nyack is TRULY about. . .