Shelter Island Reporter editorial: Counting blessings

Distraction from good things happening right under our noses defines this era of data overload, with information coming at us with fire hose relentlessness and force, most of it bad, disturbing, puzzling, or sometimes all three at once.

Small things — to some — that are meaningful to keep a community alive, together and functioning, happen all the time on Shelter Island, and it’s to Islanders’ credit that these events are recognized as essential for the well-lived life.

Two Island institutions were honored recently, and it’s good to list them again here. The Shelter Island Athletic Department — Director Todd Gulluscio, athletes and coaches — received one of the highest honors the State can give a school’s athletic program.

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association presented an Exemplary Sportsmanship Award to Shelter Island School “for consistently demonstrated great sportsmanship characteristics.” Playing sports the correct way, with respect for opponents, fans and each other, doesn’t come naturally, just as the skills to play a sport must be learned.

Thank you, Mr. Gulluscio, and the coaches, for showing young people the right way.

Perhaps even more significantly, for the seventh consecutive year, Shelter Island has been named a School of Distinction by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

To earn that honor, 100% of the school’s athletes must maintain high academic averages. Again the coaches, Mr. Gulluscio, and the teachers and staff of the school, deserve to take a bow for helping to form citizens who will soon take their parts in the wider world with solid foundations.

And another institution — Piccozzi’s Service Station — recently received an award from Exxon/Mobil for its “dedication to our customers, community and our continued business relationship over the past 95 years.”

Yes, Jake and Augie Piccozzi founded their business, the oldest family-run Mobil Service Station in the world, when Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States.

The family has supplied Islanders with service on every level, not just gassing up vehicles, but dispensing advice on any mechanical question. Piccozzi’s has also been an unofficial tourist information center all these years, as the first place many visitors stop by with questions.

Congratulations, and here’s to another 95 years. Don’t let anyone mislead you. The best of times are now, when we can look a little closer at events that aren’t earth-shaking, or particularly loud, but are shining examples of blessings received.