Column: Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Sandwiches served with a side of conversation
One of my favorite writers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, said, “The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone who thinks and feels with us, and who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.”
Yet, where are such people? They exist in all walks of life. Like hidden treasure, they exist within our glance but are beyond our touch. In today’s political, social and economic climate such individuals provide hope for our collective conscious.
I hope I don’t embarrass him by saying this, but my buddy Al Simmons is such an individual. Typically, you’ll find him swabbing the floor of Jersey Mike’s in La Cañada or slicing baloney there. I wouldn’t call him a usual proprietor, he’s anything but usual. At Jersey Mike’s you get more than tuna on wheat with a pickle. Come for the sandwich but stay for the conversation. After speaking with Al, I can only assume that one will leave with a different perspective than the one with which you entered. If there is a Zen to a sandwich shop, you’ll find it at our town’s Jersey Mike’s.
As a former mountaineer, I found communion with a guy who’d free-climb the Flatirons in the rain in the Colorado Rockies. Even during my peak as a climber, I’d rope up. However, I was most impressed with the impact that he has on the young men and women under his employ. It goes without saying that he continues to give back to the kids of La Cañada.
“Al, how do you hope to impact the kids?” I asked.
“I teach them the importance of being kind. If we are not kind, what are we here for?” he responded.
He is a mentor and teaches life lessons that are subliminal at first, but over time have the potential to impact life.
“Work hard,” he asserted. “Take direction, and if you are 15 minutes early, you are late. Be your word — if you’re going to say something, do it.”
Many of the young people under his employ have done remarkable things, but invariably they have evolved into honorable people.
Al explained that many young people have problems with their parents. He offered a most insightful solution: “Learn to forgive,” he said.
He said that if there was one thing he learned in life, “You have to try your best every day and have grit,” regardless of circumstance.
If you’re a music aficionado, you must reminisce with Al. As an avid Deadhead, he saw the Grateful Dead perform 26 times. The Eagles, the Kinks, and even my brother’s band the Ohio Players have influenced his life.
“It is the moment and the impact that music can have on your life,” he said. “You got to sing, and you got to dance, and you got to love each other.”
During our conversation, Al became reflective, “My wife is my hero,” he exclaimed. Libby is a cancer survivor and has dedicated her life to raising two wonderful children, Willy and Phebe. Al is also a survivor and has successfully battled alcoholism. “Bring what you may,” defines his tenacious spirit. “When you rise like the Phoenix, you view life from the bottom.”
Don’t get me wrong; Al Simmons is no hero. I can tell by the look in his eye that he has stories that would make your hair curl. It takes one to know one.
I loved how our conversation closed: “I have some of the finest young people working for me,” he exclaimed.
“Why do you say that?” I countered.
“Because they are.”
That’s the Zen of La Cañada’s Jersey Mike’s.
JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.
