Long list of people who are deserving of thanks

I HAVE realised recently that I have been writing a list in my mind from early April this year.

The list is entitled People I am grateful to. Early entries were obvious. These included all those in health and social care, whether frontline or those supporting them (some friends and family being among the many thousands benefitting).

Similarly, all those in education, especially coming to my mind when I realised how hard my grandchildren’s teachers were working to continue to provide fun and regular learning while home-schooling was necessary.

Friends and family were there, a reminder of my good fortune. Helping here so much was Zoom, so the developers of that technology were clearly worthy of inclusion.

More recently of course there are those wonderful scientists from across the world who have brought us hope for 2021 with the vaccine, along with all those involved in its development and transportation.

However, while shopping last week at a supermarket, I suddenly realised there are so many more who should be on the list, often those whom we unthinkingly take for granted.

So the list is now very long, including as it does the people serving me at the garage where I get a newspaper; those serving me in shops (how awful it was to read a letter in the Mercury from one who reported frequent abuse); all those delivering things, whether to me or from me; the woman at the hairdressers who carefully tackled my dishevelled hair last week while doing all the safety things that are necessary; the men who every week have emptied our bins; the Leicestershire parks staff who have kept our lovely parks fit for my daily walk.

Oh dear, when I’ve finished this, more will come to mind for this precious list.

A lot of people in my list will sadly also feature in a list of low-paid workers.

This really has been the year to ponder this, because it has surely demonstrated that they contribute so regularly and importantly to our quality of life.

As the American philosopher Michael Sandel argued recently, what has happened ought to make us re-evaluate how we view occupations by making us consider their social value, not just their economic value.

That would be a most revealing analysis if applied to some highly remunerated occupations as well as low-paid ones.

In the meantime, let’s remember to thank these people as often as we can. Where would we be without them?

Les Gallop, Syston