Define essential

“How on earth are you possibly essential?” The words from my adult son about the necessity of my work stung a little. I knew what he meant, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to feign indignation and apply a little motherly guilt. He knows me well, so the play didn’t last long.

But that word . . . essential . . . are you tired of it? For a thousand reasons, we’ve long classified people to draw distinctions: blue collar/white collar, introvert/extrovert, liberal/conservative, cat people/dog people. This one, though, feels a little personal, and reminded me of a day when I didn’t feel essential.

Construction on a new building on our church campus was near completion. A dozen or so members were there working outside when I stopped by to help. Danny handed me a water hose and directed me to a bed of freshly-planted shrubs.

The day was hot and humid. As I watered the plants, I watched the men around me installing more plants, hefting heavy rolls of sod, and strewing bales of pine needles. Another group worked on a cinder block retaining wall. Me? I was just standing there. Energy expended? Virtually none.

On one of his passes back and forth, Danny thanked me. I said, “Not really hard.”

“It’s not hard,” he said, “but it’s important.”

He was right, of course. Physically unable to do the heavy lifting, this was something I could do. Without water, the trees and shrubs wouldn’t live. My little task was important . . . essential.

So many things we do every day, even (and maybe especially) during a pandemic-induced lockdown aren’t hard, but are important. Here’s a short list:

• Rest.
• Wash your hands.
• Check on neighbors, friends, and family.
• Hug the people you’re allowed to.
• Go outside to breathe some fresh air.
• Share or write something positive on social media.
• Pray.
• Stay at home as much as possible.
• Make goals for the rest of the year. 

A lot of jobs have been deemed non-essential. If that’s happened to your job, please don’t confuse that in your head as meaning that you are not essential. You may be able to tackle some hard things now that will leave you in a better position when this ends than you were in before. If not, work on the things that are not hard, but are important. As the saying goes, if you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

Be safe. Be kind.