When residing in a world brimming with self-promotion and diverting distractions, we forget to stop and notice the invisible jobs around us—the jobs that are anonymous, but powerful. But if we took a second to disentangle ourselves from the fast-paced world, we’d grasp the reality of everything that so many workers do in order to allow our daily lives to commence, and in this realization, we’d appreciate and gain more respect for them and all that they do.
ONE: Sanitation Workers
As you drive past the heaping bin outside your house each morning, do you ever ponder the thought of who emptied the trash that you had thrown in the garbage the night before? Do you consider the freezing cold or steaming hot temperatures in which almost every garbage man or woman has to work in order to clean out your garbage so that your house doesn’t begin smelling like hot trash? So, next time you come across the substantial truck, throw a wave and a smile at the people inside!
TWO: Janitors/Maintenance Workers
When you are at school or wandering through a clean building, do you realize the hands behind the pristine shine? It’s the janitors and maintenance workers that labor after hours to restlessly polish the floors your shoes slide over and the desks and tables you drop your books onto. So, as you move through your day, send some appreciation to the janitors that clean the daily paths that you walk.
THREE: Mail Delivery Workers
Sometimes it’s the boxes and packages delivered right to your door or the letters and notices placed carefully within your mailbox. Whatever the placement of your delivery may be, it is delivered to your hands within days of its departure by the men and women who drive around feverishly in the large trucks that we all become giddy with excitement when seeing. Along with deliveries of boxes and mail, some still love the classic feeling of a freshly printed newspaper in hand, delivered to their door each morning by a speedy delivery driver. Perhaps the next time you open up your online orders that are brought to your door, or go through your stack of mail, be sure to show the delivery drivers your appreciation for all that they do.
FOUR: Landscapers/Snow Plowers
There is nothing quite like that fresh, clean scent that fills the air after the grass has been cut or the relief of driving over clean roads that are not covered in dirtied snow or piled leaves. We often take the people that ensure the grass is not up to our knees, and the crew that arrives in oversized trucks to clear the roads of heaping mounds of snow after a storm, for granted. So, when the spring arrives again with flowers beginning to bloom and grass needing to be cut, or when we see our first snow that sticks, sending some appreciation to the hardworking landscapers and diligent snow plowers would be sure to make their days.
FIVE: Bus Drivers
Most of the eyes reading this school newspaper belong to high schoolers… so if we can assume this, we can also probably assume that most readers came to school via a school bus. But as we board the large yellow thing that stops at our houses every day, do we stop to appreciate the drivers who operate these large buses that take us to and from school? Probably not: we are often too distracted as we rush to make the bus when we’ve slept past our alarm, or speeding towards the lined up buses when that last school bell rings out. So, next time you enter or leave your school bus, thank the driver that sits behind the wheel, and maybe even start up a conversation!
SIX: Teachers
We have all had our favorite teachers, as well as our least favorite teachers… but they are the ones that teach us everything we need to know in order to graduate, so we really wouldn’t get far without them. Some may think that teachers have it easy with all of their vacations, extended list of sick days, and added benefits, but I think that others would easily argue that teachers have it pretty tough. I mean, can you imagine trying to teach about the Civil War, or the confusing shapes of Geometry to a bunch of students that would much rather be sleeping, eating, or… doing anything but learning? I know I couldn’t do it. So, have some extra appreciation for the teachers who spend every day grading essays, tests, and quizzes whilst also teaching students that fall asleep on the daily.
SEVEN: Construction Workers
The smooth roads that so many of us learned and are learning how to drive over, and the buildings that we traverse through every day… both these simplicities would not be possible if not for construction workers who work day and night to build the towns and homes that we reside in. Granted, most of us live in homes that were not built recently, if not renovated, but we do work, shop, and visit stores and buildings that are fairly new, buildings that would not be standing if not for the assistance of construction workers. So, if you can send some appreciation to the construction workers that fix and pave broken roads, and construct the places we go to every day, it could make all the difference…even a wave and a smile could make their day.
EIGHT: Nurses/Paramedics
The people that assist when we are feeling ill and the drivers who save lives at the scene of a tragedy are two jobs that we could not function properly without. Who gives us our yearly shots and makes those dreadful seasonal illnesses go away? Nurses work days and nights to ensure everyone’s health. Who arrives within minutes to help bring a person to medical care? Paramedics race past cars to arrive at an emergency on time, ready to do anything they can to serve others. So, if you know someone who has either of these jobs, or come across a nurse or paramedic driver, give them a thanks because they do a whole lot more than we all assume.
NINE: Firefighters
They rush into burning, crumbling buildings to save the people within, agree to risk their lives each time they get a call, and pull on their suits and helmets. We don’t realize how deadly the fires that start in buildings and houses are, some of which get so defiant that people are left stranded on every level of an apartment building with no way out but to jump five stories down. And yes, granted, we do see the burning flames on the news, or read about it in articles, but we never stop to think about the men and women who charge into the burning blaze when everyone else is charging out. So, search out your local fire department and drop off a tray of cookies or snacks to show your appreciation for all that they do.
TEN: Cashiers
I am going to guess that a lot of the students reading this newspaper have a job (we’ve gotta save up for a car somehow, right?!), and the jobs most filled by high schoolers are behind-the-counter work. So while some of us go into various stores to buy food, clothes, supplies, etc., others are working in those stores. Whatever the case may be, why do we never seem to stop and appreciate the people who stand behind the registers, ringing up our purchases with a smile on their faces? This is partly because we tend to be in our own worlds while shopping, so can easily forget about the person that scans the barcode on the items we purchase. But, smiling at cashiers, or asking them how their day is going could not only make them smile, but also look forward to going to work each day.
Often overlooked, unseen, and unappreciated, these workers could use a little encouragement. Take a minute to say “thanks” the next time you run into them!