By David Fortier 

Come Sunday morning, the ice is still with us, sort of. It is definitely in the air, but it is also there underfoot, in patches, so that when I walked to Bakery on Maple Saturday afternoon, still hobbled a bit from knee replacement surgery, I brought my cane. Or, perhaps, my cane brought me.  

The cold air doesn’t bother me much, so the walk was invigorating. Even negotiating the sidewalks was a bit of a challenge, and in its own way, invigorating too. The sun shined, and in the sunlight, despite the freezing temperature, little puddles and pools of water formed from melting ice. I wondered about that phenomenon, but not too much. 

It is simply good to walk. 

*** 

Lately, I have become, alternately, enraged and overwhelmed by our health-care system. A member of the family has been in and out of the hospital and rehab over the past two months. Each time in the hospital/rehab routine, this person comes home after being discharged by the insurer, not a doctor, and within a day or two, this person is back in the hospital after either a visit to a primary care doctor, who gets them back in the hospital for obvious reasons, or there is a fall from being too weak and debilitated in the first place. Each return, by ambulance, requires a hefty co-pay, and there is another hefty co-pay for an emergency room/visit or new hospitalization. 

What enrages me is that if this person were allowed to recover to the point where they were strong enough to be home, this could be avoided—not only the charges but the falls and life-threatening diminishment of vital signs and other related health concerns. And the cycle begins again. What does this vicious recycling of an ill person accomplish? And, another obvious question is, aren’t doctors supposed to be ones calling the shots? I am way behind on this, but it seems something is terribly wrong. Anyone out there have similar circumstances to contend with? Anyone have a solution? I am sure readers will be interested in these. 

*** 

TBE has always intended to print letters, and this week we got the chance. We really messed up coverage of a meet and greet in the 3rd District. We posted a correction as soon as we were made aware of inaccuracies. And, as would be expected, we received a letter. For future purposes, anyone considering writing to us, this is our letters policy. Please keep letters to a maximum of 450 words. Personal attacks will not be published. In other words, stick to the issues. Longer letters will be edited for length, or they might be considered for guest editorials. All letters will be edited for style. When I refer to letters, I am really referring to emails. Put “Letter to the editor” in the subject line on the email. Submit to editor@bristoledition.org. 

We do aim to encourage public discourse, and there is room for that on our Facebook page, but for the purposes of our newspaper, we like the idea of letters, because it takes a minute to compose one and we are hoping rational thought will prevail over the incessant sustained knee-jerk asides that dominate social media. 

Regarding our reporting, we do our best. When we fail to live up to our standards, we need to be reminded of our place and our role. 

For this week’s listening, try The Ezra Klein Show, “The Pandemic Lessons We Clearly Haven’t Learned.” Click here. As for book reading, I have started an intriguing non-fiction work called The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker by Mike Rose. Rose, who passed away recently, studied American education and the struggles of the working class. I am only in the first chapter, which features his mother, who was a waitress. The chapter discusses all the different intellectual facets that are involved in waitressing, and, as an educator myself, challenges me to recognize (and remember) that there are many intelligences associated with different types of work, something that is often overlooked and undervalued. The next chapter discusses the work of the hair stylist.  

Enjoy your week!  

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org.