There are a lot of thankless jobs in our world today. And the people who hold them work hard, day in and day out, and receive very little in the way of appreciation for what they do.
Over the past week, we were reminded of a few of these occupations, as part of various events where employees weren’t necessarily the focus, but we couldn’t ignore the contributions they make every day.
For example, the city of Clinton has started its biannual Clean-Up Week, in which public works employees collect large trash items, like appliances or mattresses or tires, that are not normally allowed in regular garbage pickups. These men and, sometimes women, have important jobs. We depend on them weekly to pick up our trash and transport it to the landfill so we don’t have to, but do we ever really consider who they are or appreciate the jobs they actually do that make our lives easier?
Sadly, we just expect it to be done, and we only really notice when something goes awry, like an item is left or spilled, or the garbage cans are knocked over. We are quick to complain to city leaders, but how often do we give kudos when everything goes smoothly?
The same can be said of our local Department of Social Services staff. At the pinwheel planting ceremony on Friday, where blue pinwheels are placed in the ground outside the DSS offices to commemorate Child Abuse Prevention Month, the focus was on the hundreds of children who experience abuse and mistreatment at the hands of those who are supposed to care for them. In the unfortunate event of a child being removed from a home or a dangerous situation, they will come in contact with DSS employees, from social workers to case workers to administrative staff, all who deal with an intense amount of stress and sometimes, trauma. It’s definitely not a profession for the faint of heart. They have to be understanding, kind and strong, yet keep their emotions in check as they deal with what many of us would view as unimaginable situations.
And then, there are the healthcare professionals who study for years to help someone else in their time of need. Many people who enter a hospital or doctor’s office are having one of the worst days of their lives. To have someone treat them with compassion and care, rather than as an annoyance is a rare and wonderful thing. While physicians are often paid the big bucks and get a lot of the praise, there are the nurses, nursing assistants, radiology techs, phlebotomists, lab personnel, and many more who are part of a team tasked with making sure each of us heal and feel better. They should not be forgotten, and should be heralded every day as the heroes they are.
On the front page of this issue, we have highlighted Butler Funeral Home, which has now been in business for 100 years. It takes a really special individual to aspire to be a funeral director, embalmer or otherwise work with people who have just lost someone very important to them. It’s not something many of us would want to take on, but people like the Wood family at Butler, and the numerous other staffs of funeral homes throughout the county, are there to treat the bereaved with kindness, care and dignity. They are to be commended, thanked and appreciated.
Our local law enforcement officers and first responders, too, deal with some of the worst Sampson has to offer, and yet, they also react with kindness in situations where a person is injured or is having a pretty bad day. Of course, not all encounters with law enforcement end up being pleasant for suspects or people who just happened to be going a little over the speed limit, but we shudder to think what society would be like without those men and women.
We could go on and on, recognizing the everyday people who make our lives just a little bit easier, from cashiers in the grocery store or gas station, to the leaders of nonprofit organizations that dedicate their lives to helping the less fortunate. Whoever these behind-the-scenes folks may be, we hope they realize that they are appreciated, and their work does matter, even if they don’t always get the recognition they certainly deserve.