{"id":10562,"date":"2024-12-11T09:49:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=10562"},"modified":"2024-12-11T17:51:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T22:51:18","slug":"tis-the-season-for-appreciation-and-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/12\/11\/tis-the-season-for-appreciation-and-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Tis the Season for Appreciation and Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>is the season.<\/p>\n

Holiday gatherings, festive lights, music, and decorations galore \u2014 at home, in stores, in city, town, and community centers. It\u2019s also a time to reconnect with old friends with calls and cards, not to mention \u00a0those [add your own adjective here] typed holiday letters about everything that happened over the past year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a time for gift giving, including to the many worthy causes out there, including for example some of the pro-worker organizations suggested at the end of this post. So, I decided to spend some time thinking about gifts for the workers in our lives. No, not the presents we might put under the tree or give to our family and friends.\u00a0But what could and should be given to the myriad unnamed workers who support our daily lives.<\/p>\n

Like the utility workers who keep our lights and power on; the farmers who grow our food and the farmworkers who work in the hot fields to harvest it; ; \u00a0the poultry and meat packing workers who work in dark, damp and dangerous plants to process and prepare our meat for distribution and sale; the transportation workers who drive the trains, busses, taxis, and ride share services that get us where we need to go; the health care workers who treat us when we\u2019re sick, help us keep healthy, and care for our loved ones in nursing homes; the mail carriers who trek through the worst weather to deliver our mail; the teachers who educate, counsel, and put up with our children; the highway and roadway workers who repair and keep our streets safe; the wastewater treatment plant workers who are on the other end of our flushed toilets, the reporters who give us the good, the bad, and the ugly news sometimes risking their lives in the process, and the workers in religious and non-profit organization who provide information, resources, and physical, social, and emotional support when needed.<\/p>\n

What Our Nation\u2019s Workers Want and Deserve for Christmas \u2013 Gifts That Keep on Giving<\/strong><\/h2>\n