In my very first blog post about COVID 19, I predicted it would bring out the best in Canadians. I was right in so many ways, but it makes me really happy to see how much kindness has been directed at front-line workers.
The front-line workers where I live are very near and dear to my heart. They make my existence so much better. I’m talking about all the people who are screened at the front door when they arrived for work in the morning: in the kitchen and dining room, the admin personnel, the house keepers, and, most important of all, the healthcare aids who work with me one-on-one, doing a million different things every single day. They all put my needs ahead of their own to come to work every day, and wear masks to protect me.
My existence would be pretty miserable without them. They help me dress and undress, go to the bathroom, get in and out of bed, get in and out of my wheelchair … The four women I’m thinking of in particular work 12 hour shifts and they go full out for every one of those hours, except for two meal breaks that add up to a mere hour and a half. They earned minimum wage or just slightly above it. Since COVID 19 they’ve been doing this while wearing masks that affect their breathing, are itchy, uncomfortable, and make their glasses fog up.
During the second week of COVID 19, a sign mysteriously appeared in the backyard. I believe it was the doing of the family members of a resident, and was directed at the front-line workers here. It says “THANK YOU (with a large red heart in the “O”), and on the sides in smaller lettering “Stay Safe,” and “We Love You.” It was clearly premeditated because it was covered in plastic and screwed onto a large raised flower bed.
Several days ago, a local coffee company donated a large supply of coffee varieties, flavoured creams, hot chocolate, Keurig machines, and other related products, for the use of the front-line workers here. Someone brought them pizza on Thursday and Saturday.
I’ve heard of a couple big box stores, deemed essential in this world of restricted shopping, that allow them to go to the front of the line up of people waiting to get into the store.
Hearing about these things makes me very happy. So much good karma.