Epitomizing the New Normal, Rider Delivers Free Flowers to Healthcare Workers
Dimitri Psoras is what one might call a “character.” As an example, he was kicked out of 18 SCHOOLS while growing up.
When asked why he was kicked out of the schools, he chuckled and replied in a wry tone, “Let’s just call it a ‘difference of opinion.’” When prompted to elaborate, he told a story of secretly hanging out in the attic of his high-school dormitory, stomping on the floorboards to prove the surface’s sturdiness to a friend, and consequently crashing through the ceiling of his dorm parent’s apartment. “Yep, difference of opinion…” he repeats with another chuckle.
Dimitri comes by his quirkiness honestly. He hasn’t lived a traditional life, and he acknowledges that his trials have shaped him. His dad died when he was 7-years-old, and to make ends meet, his mom started selling flowers on street corners in Baltimore. Dimitri and his brother received special permission to leave school early so they could help out. We asked him what he remembers most about that experience. “It was cold as s — t,” he said in typical straight-shooting fashion.
Even with the flower selling business, the family of three almost had to move into their station wagon. But right when things were at their most difficult, they caught a break. One day, Victor Frankl — famed neurologist, psychologist, author, and holocaust survivor — happened to purchase some flowers from the Psoras’. Frankl loved the blooms so much that he asked Dimitri’s mom, Chris, to make 30 arrangements for an upcoming American Cancer Society function. She’d never made arrangements, but decided to give it a shot.
The flowers turned out perfect. Frankl was delighted and, subsequently, asked Chris if she wanted to move her operation into the Belvedere Hotel’s lobby, where he had some connections. She accepted the offer, and her business took off.
“It really is a crazy story,” Dimitri remarked. “I mean, we were on the brink of living in our car, and all of sudden we’re Baltimore celebrities. You really can’t make this stuff up. Because of my mother’s efforts, we were able to move forward with our lives.”
Clearly, Chris is a strong, determined individual. “She’s the only person I’m afraid of that I wouldn’t want to fight,” Dimitri says. For all her strength, though, Chris is now facing one of her biggest challenges: lymphoma cancer. Dimitri, who currently lives in Florida, is in Baltimore taking care of her as she goes through chemotherapy.
In between chemo treatments, Dimitri does something that, well, let’s say is — very Dimitri. He uses Spin scooters to cruise around the city and deliver free flowers and water to frontline hospital workers. His motivation? “I didn’t really do it for any recognition; I just feel bad for what they’re going through.”
Multiple times a week, Dimitri, dressed impeccably in a designer shirt, pressed khakis, and leather shoes, fastens a basket to the front of a Spin scooter and fills it with small bouquets of mixed spring arrangements and Fiji waters.
As with all things in his life, Dimitri does this his way. “I just walk in like I own the place,” he says, referring to the hospitals where he makes his deliveries. It’s a bold approach, sure, but it’s effective. “It’s very well received. I have a letter from the President of Johns Hopkins personally thanking me. If the President sends you a letter, it’s pretty good.” He adds, “I just want them [the doctors and nurses] to know how much I appreciate them. I mean, they’re risking their lives.”
Dimitri finds Spin scooters perfect for his task, “Why drive a car, create pollution, have to pay for parking, and have to wait in traffic?” he asks, rhetorically. “It’s just a no brainer. I mean, no emissions. It’s just so much more convenient. I wish you guys had this years ago. What a brilliant idea.”
The flower-giving gesture is thoughtful and kind, but we wanted to peel back the layers to understand the underlying motivation. When we asked, Dimitri paused to collect his thoughts and then explained, “I used to be selfish, and I used to have a disease called ‘Dimitriosis.’ But as I got older — I’m 50 now, but still adorable — I guess, I just outgrew my selfishness. I see the world, and I just want to help.”
Dimitri’s creative approach to dealing with the challenges of a global pandemic perfectly epitomizes the New Normal. He is improvising and doing something creative and thoughtful. Dimitri is adaptively responding to the circumstances of the moment, and he’s utilizing the versatility of a Spin scooter to actualize and empower his creative impulse.
