Everyday heroes

Everyday heroes shine in times like these, and this time is no different.

It hit me soon after I saw “orchestrate” was today’s WordPress Discover prompt there are people who’ve done so much to orchestrate so many things in the world right now.

They’ve been the calm in the confusion, and they’ve helped provide peace in the panic of this pandemic.

Some things have been orchestrated to foster some sense of normalcy, like a show put together with videos from singers who recorded themselves while they sang their hits from their homes.

I thought those things, and others from other celebrities, were noble efforts to provide people with an escape.

Sports would be a normal escape this time of year, but they’re aren’t any.

Athletes, singers and celebrities are home like most people.

It is a normal aspect of our culture to put them on a pedestal for all kinds of reasons.

It’s pretty rare we think about how much they are like us until we see them FaceTime a daytime talk show with no makeup, bed hair or in pajamas in their homes.

I’ve thought a lot today about the fact people who have a lot of sway on the culture and our daily lives in normal circumstances aren’t the ones we’re looking to as much these days.

We’re looking to the everyday people who make our necks of the woods run like they should.

We’re looking to the medical professionals who have what it takes to push back against this plague and save lives.

We’re looking to the truckers, grocers, food-service workers, deliverers, military, law enforcement and anyone else who has an impact we may not always realize but should always recognize.

They have orchestrated ways to do their jobs in the middle of this craziness to provide necessities and keep our lives as normal as possible.

After so many days of online school, people may realize we have long underestimated the responsibilities and influence of school staff and faculty.

Some of the most special people in my life, past and present, are teachers.

I have long said they need a raise, and maybe after this is over one good thing to come out of it will be they get a suitable one.

Companies have tried to orchestrate ways for people to work from home or work in reduced-contact environments.

Clergy and church staffs have orchestrated ways to have services, in a time when gatherings are just about not allowed, to try to point people to the One who can heal our land.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some of the things people have orchestrated to help us through what is often a season of confusion.

Everyday people shine in times like these.

They’ve sure shone.