Growing up, I was an athlete going to the Olympics! Never happened.

I read enough to get by, but mostly magazines and newspapers, and I was mesmerized by O. Henry, the short story guru. Picking up a novel was never my cup of tea and still isn’t. Now, though, I read voraciously.

Every morning, I get the newspapers, and where is the first place I sift to? Letters to the editor, or LTEs. To me, letters are short stories, typically limited in word-count by the newspaper. Some reiterate the news, but most bring a creative interpretation of life, making you mad or even making you cry. LTEs are opinions representative of those living around us, regardless of whether you agree with them.

I have always been a whistleblower, even more recently when it came to healthcare and older adults. For fear of truth, I was blacklisted, with my writing kept out of local newspapers and magazines.

Still, my “snippets” get posted or published. Why? Because concerned and open-minded citizens realize “free speech” is a stalwart of democracy. So, honor this ideal, and respect each other for it.

Getting through this pandemic and navigating BLM will depend on it.

End of LTE.

Signed: O. Henry surrogate.

Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric house-call physician who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults and Assemblyman to the California Senior Legislature. He has practiced in the Santa Clarita Valley for 32 years.