Pandemic Lessons

My wife and I booked a trip for later this year which includes airline reservations. Since we booked the tickets, we have received repeated changes to the flight details. The latest revision included a change in airports to another city halfway across the country in the opposite direction of our destination. Fortunately, it was our connecting flight and not our originating flight. It is a relevant reminder that we are still living in a post pandemic world of sporadic shortages.

Before the pandemic we lived in a world where for the most part we could get the things we needed. I must admit I took for granted the vast supply chain that filled our shelves and I certainly under-appreciated the millions of people who worked every day to move all those goods. I also failed to appreciate the hundreds of thousands of people who work everyday to move people on planes, buses, taxis and ride hailing services. Even just the convenience of having a car and roads to drive on.

I can’t help but wonder if years from now I will remember what we’ve went through in the last few years. I hope I continue to maintain a sense of contentment for what I have in life and not focus on what I don’t have or cannot get. I hope I will continue to appreciate the people who work every day to ensure the wheels of our country keep turning. I hope I will still thank the cashier, shout “thank you” to the road worker, thank the delivery person and countless others who provide the goods and services I depend on each day.