Two Degrees off Center: The new norm

“Two Degrees off Center” is a blog by Rich Keys about the personal struggles, issues, and topics that speak to the LDS/LGBT experience.  Sometimes it will be serious, sometimes humorous, but will always approach things from a slightly different perspective.

by Rich Keys

While we’re all hunkered down at home during the current corona crisis, I thought it’d be good to thank so many people who are essential and working, even going the extra mile, to help the rest of us get through this a little easier. So I’ll start by taking a list from the closing credits of the March 22 broadcast of Meet the Press. You can add a category, a particular store, or high-five someone by name, and share it with others. There’s plenty of love and support to go around–no shortage of that.

Thank you:
National Guard
Caregivers
Cashiers
Critical infrastructure workers
Delivery workers
Doctors
Drivers
Educators
Electricians
Farmers
First Responders
Food Manufacturers
Gig-economy Workers
Grocery Store Staff
Healthcare Workers
Information Technologists
Janitorial Staff
Law Enforcement
Mass Transit Workers
Nurses
Petroleum Workers
Pharmacists
Postal Workers
Retail Workers
Scientists
Security
Truckers
Waste Management Professionals

…and a few of my own:

Utility employees who keep the TV and fridge and a/c and heat going, and who keep the water coming out the tap and drinkable.

The neighbor who’s willing to share their last roll of toilet paper with you.

TV anchors and reporters and the techs behind the scenes who keep the news coming.

Newspaper and other print media reporters and investigators who go into harm’s way to let us know what’s happening out there.

The media and IT techs who can somehow reroute and reconfigure everything to make it look like business as usual.

God (or your higher power) for giving the world one more opportunity to be sufficiently humble, and for providing the technology to adapt to a new norm so we can keep going.

Adam Silver and the NBA for mercifully cutting the Golden State Warriors’ season short.

The sun, that keeps coming up every morning to give us hope that Annie was right: the sun really will come up tomorrow

The anchor in each of our lives, whoever it is, who’s there when the times get tough, who helps our boat stay afloat and stop rocking so much in the storm until things calm down again, and who assures us that it will.

Now if only someone could find a way to cuddle without having to be six feet apart…

Who are you thankful for at this time?

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If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out all posts in the Two Degrees off Center blog series.