I arrived at the airport yesterday at 4:50 a.m., and I was grumpy. My 6 a.m. flight to Miami from LaGuardia Airport took off while it was still dark. After take off, I had a small snack that helped the grumpiness slightly. I was in a window seat and raised the shutter. The sun was rising in bright oranges and yellows, and I couldn’t help but think, “Well, this isn’t such a bad view to have over breakfast.” The rest of the flight had me thinking of two other remarkable things that happened last week, one small and one more significant.

Last week I went out on the town to celebrate my birthday. I took a cab home in the wee hours of the morning; and when I got home, my celebratory mood quickly ended as I realized I left my phone in the back of the taxi. I was disappointed, but I figured it hadn’t happened to me in Manhattan for eight years. Knowing me, that was a pretty good run. Instead of getting excited or upset, I accepted the fact and planned to fix the damages in the morning. A few minutes later, I received a call on my landline from the friend I was with that evening. He received a text from someone saying they found my phone and to call. I couldn’t believe it. I called the number; and a very nice woman on the other end said she found my phone, and rather than giving it to the driver, she tried a few numbers. She told me her work address where I could pick up the phone the next day. I couldn’t thank her enough.

A few days later, I walked into my building and the doorman said, “Did you hear?” Naturally, I responded, “Hear what?” It turns out one of our doormen who fell ill last year was back to work. It brought tears to my eyes. Our beloved doorman, Franck, was diagnosed with severe cancer. His family from Europe had even flown over, and he was given his last rites from a priest. I don’t know what happened, but Franck is back on his feet. Call it what you will, but in my book Franck made a miraculous recovery. He still has cancer and a tough road ahead, but he is back to work, and we are all thankful to have him back. He also is a daily reminder to not take life for granted. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to 6 a.m. flights, but I must admit, it is hardly something to get grumpy or annoyed about in the grand scheme of things.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead!

— Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher