Last weekend the neighbors moved – and were not very neat about it. The day after they left, the street was lined with garbage, old furniture, broken appliances, bags of trash. But by midmorning a garbage truck arrived, and within minutes everything was restored to normal.
Another reminder of how much I owe frontline workers. As a retiree, my life has been far less affected than most. Of course I miss visiting family and friends, going to restaurants and concerts, all the “normal” activities in the pre-COVID world. But most of my shopping was already online, including groceries. The lawn was maintained by a landscaping crew, heavy housecleaning done by a cleaning service. But the people who bring my groceries, pick up the garbage, deliver my packages, maintain my lawn and clean my house are exactly those most affected by the pandemic. They are the reason for the quality of life I am privileged to have today.
