I'm guilty of running a 'quick' errand, but after this heartbreaking interaction, I know the chores aren't worth it and can wait.
My family was out of milk and eggs, and I had a severe craving for a Yasso bar. Feeling justified to take a quarantine-breaking grocery run, I grabbed my keys and hopped out of the house for a trip to Publix.I literally feel stress melt away as I stroll my buggy through the aisles.The tiniest hints of normalcy feel so grounding in this upside down world, don’t they?Not going to lie, by the time I got to check out, I had almost forgotten about the damn coronavirus.
The car ride home wasn’t a vacation. Tears burned in my eyes as I prayed for that poor man by name and internally berated myself for shopping when I could have ordered in.There’s something about this virus that has exposed an ugly underbelly in our society, and I’m growing more aware of it every day.I mean. My Lord, y’all. Look at this picture.There is no reason a man this age should be working -- even in the SAFEST of work environments.
But it is UNFATHOMABLE that this elderly man is LITERALLY risking his life every single day for a low wage job that he can barely physically manage.Maybe that would work if our most vulnerable citizens could afford to stay home. But to our everlasting shame, that simply isn’t the case. This precious man, for reasons our society is too selfish to address, must continue to go to work. Or perhaps, he is a strong willed elderly man who just lives for these small, human interactions.Unless it’s absolutely necessary. Unless there is no other option.And if you find yourself wondering if the errand is worth the risk, look at this picture.If you have to leave for an essential item, I get it.
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