#TeacherInQuarantine: Day 11 The Essential Among Us

It’s happened several times. I wake up and just lay there. Convincing myself it’s all just a dream.

Truth is, the death toll in my little Florida county is not staggering compared to more densely populated areas…but the disruption is. I see the numbers roll in nationally each day. I see the entire focus of a country on one thing.

I see heroes.

I used to think that Websters ‘Word of the Year’ for 2020 ought to be ‘social distancing’. The more I think about it, I believe that ought to be switched to, ‘Essential Worker.’ This is not to say that all workers do not have value…I just think, as a society, we should begin to do a better job of putting our money where our LIVES are. We need to honor those essential employees with more than high fives and tokens of appreciation.

Entertainers & athletes have made far too much money for far too long. Why? When the fit hits the shan…where are they? I see many trying to secure their brand on social media, but what of value are they contributing in this storm? There are heroes to be found in this Covid19 crisis and ‘celebrities’ are most certainly not being found on the front lines as I write these words. Don’t get me wrong, I do love art…but, right now, I think we can all agree that we love living and breathing much more.

On the other side of this current struggle, I hope we, as a nation, will make it a priority to put our money where our mouth is. I hope we will remember who got us through this. I hope we will honor the essential workers among us.