If I have learned anything from this pandemic, the shutdown is that I have not appreciated all of you, us and our roles near enough, some maybe not at all. I do now!

If you’re a doctor or nurse, thank you. Thank you for all you do. My life is healthier, and will last longer because of you. If you are a police officer or lawyer….(yes even lawyers have essential roles), thank you, there have been times both have been needed.

We can’t all be doctors, nurses, police officers or even lawyers. You are all essential. But guess what, the guys and gals that pick up my trash can’s every week…….they are essential. The dish washers in the restaurants are essential. I like a clean plate when I have an order brought to my table. It’s healthier that way. The people stocking the shelves at the grocery store are essential. It should be pretty obvious by now just how important they/you are! The truckers, the men and women on the loading docks, barbers, daycare workers, janitors/custodians if you prefer, all are essential. And many of those I just mentioned were classified or designated essential by your governor or county executive. Guess what? The guy or gal that waxes my car needs to feed his family. I need my car waxed. He isn’t working right now. Only those that are “taking care of us” are essential and are working? Will that guy that would wax my car would be taking care of me and HIS FAMILY. There are many people in positions like his/hers and many, many others I can’t begin to list here………I don’t have that much space or time. You get my point…….I HOPE! And if you decided suddenly you have read enough………thanks for coming and have a great day.

It is pathetic that anyone person, or business would be classified as non-essential……..therefore you will not be earning a living during a difficult time. Your family despite the perception placed on you are all essential. We should not even be having this conversation. Essential/or non-essential people, jobs and businesses have now been filtered into our daily lives. We are being categorized. This is BS.

WE, EVERYONE OF US ARE ESSENTIAL, WE ALL HAVE ROLES. Without waste management workers, trash would pile up on our streets, in our homes……etc. (Have you seen the mess when trash hasn’t been collected?). Somebody MUST do it. We all have a role and without people in those roles, pieces would be missing. Our community, or nation is like a puzzle, when all the pieces are in place we get the full picture. I can’t drive to my doctor’s appointment if I have no gas (thank you to those who work in the energy industry/gas and oil). I have no car without autoworkers. If you are a professor at a university or a heart surgeon, even the president of the United States, if pieces (roles) are missing from the puzzle WE DON’T FUNCTION. Even if that piece is a janitor, maid, dog catcher (you want a rabid dog in YOUR neighborhood?) or the guy collecting your trash. What kind of mess would you have without them? Thank you to guy that cuts my grass, especially when I couldn’t following my heart surgery. I needed him!

Think about all those you need, count on, ask for help from……how important are they? What would you do without them? Yeah, maybe you do some things yourself, but not all. And there are people out there that need people, that maybe you don’t necessarily need.

When they say “we are in this together”, we have always been in this together. It’s why they call it a community, a nation……..and in this country it is one nation. There are some that would like to take that away from us.

A university professor, a doctor ……… earn more than the trash collector (I mean no offense if I am using the wrong terminology in your case), but go without them. They are important to us! They are not just important, but needed. They are as we all are a piece of the puzzle. Housewives…….? No less important…..greatly needed, you teach, you cook our meals daily. You went to work during our wars. NO ONE, IS NON-ESSENTIAL (except maybe Congress). You’ll not see me write that Hyphenated word again.

Thank you for all you do! Have a great day!