Essential worker feels forgotten

Dear Amy: I am an essential worker. I work with the public on a daily basis.

At my job, which I LOVE, I have been thanked for my service but also had an equal number of people say, “Well, at least you’re working.” I have seen society slowly decay.

With all the closed places out there the ones that have been open are being overrun. We essential workers are tired and feel that we are also forgotten. The unemployed have been getting more from the government than I make in a month. I am struggling to pay my bills and would be losing my house if not for family and friends.

All I want is for someone to acknowledge that we are in need, too. Thank you for listening. — One of the Forgotten

Dear One: You don’t say what work you do, but whether you work in a store, a warehouse, a post office, hospital, precinct, school, coffee shop, cafe, or fast-food restaurant, you are valuable and yes, essential. You are valuable as a person, as a worker, and as a provider for your family. And yes, you are also lucky to be working. You say that you love your job, and that’s a bonus.

Those on unemployment are facing a financial cliff and a lot of uncertainty, as their government benefits run out. They don’t have what you have: Steady employment doing work you love, and the ability to provide for yourself and your family in the longer term. Many of the strangers you encounter each day wish they could say they were “essential.” You know that you are, and I hope you feel “seen” in the way you deserve to be.

Regarding your experience and your perceptions of the current state, I think it’s more important than ever for all of us to be gentle toward others, and with ourselves. Please, don’t judge others in a way that you don’t want to be judged.