Gary Dietz
Appearances
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
And when we got on the ferry, my first unsung hero of the day was actually the woman taking tickets on the ferry. It was a very crowded and beautiful day and she could see that there was something slightly amiss with Alexander. He seemed very nervous and I thought that was extremely perceptive and compassionate of her
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
And while we were waiting on line, the woman taking the tickets just waved us by. It was a very subtle thing to do, and it made the ferry ride a little bit more bearable.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
And this was going to be very challenging within the city because when he has a physical meltdown, He can hurt himself or others, and we really shouldn't be in a restaurant. And this hadn't happened when we'd been out really for a few years. So we very quickly asked the bartender.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
He was a really cool young man, and we had just put our order in, and I said, excuse me, sir, is it too late to cancel our order? And having worked at restaurants when I was a kid, I kind of knew it was probably too late to pull the order, but he just waved us off, and he said, no problem, I get it. You guys come back another time when things are better for you.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
And again, this concept of perception and compassion happened a second time that day.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
Mohammed was completely nonplussed. It was just like a normal thing for him, which I thought that was really weird. Because when we got in the car, he actually pulled his seat forward, leaned forward, put his hands all the way on the dashboard so that Alexander couldn't grab him. And it was really clear to me. that he knew what was going on, which was really surprising, honestly.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
So he started to drive the Uber and Alexander was still at the height of his meltdown. And the only words really that Muhammad said to us the whole time were in sort of broken English, I have a cousin, same thing, I understand. And at that point, it was super heroic for me because I was worried
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
that the Uber driver would kick us out because Alexander was being dangerous, or that I would be embarrassed, or any one of the million feelings that parents of special needs young adults that have challenges experience. But he immediately made me feel as comfortable as I possibly could at that point for the few-minute cab ride back to Charlestown where our car was parked.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
And so I sort of waved to the person who was inside the cafe, and she waved back to me, clearly indicating, we're closed, we're closed. And I try to make signs to her that, you know, I know you're closed, but I really need your help. Can you come out? And after a few seconds, she sort of caught on to the context.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
He gave us a hug and a handshake, which is the way he indicates that he's calmed down, and we were ready to drive back to New Hampshire. Eileen and I were a mess. But the only thing we could really talk about that made us feel better were these four people that really showed that situational awareness, that compassion, that ability to really put themselves in our shoes.
Hidden Brain
The Power of Family Stories
your grace and helping me and my son and my family in that moment may seem like a little deal to you, but to me, It changed our day and also changes ever so slightly my perception of how crappy the world can be sometimes for my son and for the things that we experience with my son. So just because it seemed little to you doesn't mean it wasn't giant for us. And so I want to thank you for that.