This is going to be a very short diary. I know that longer, thought piece diaries are preferred, and indeed they brought me to this site sixteen years ago. But I’ve realized that, as we discuss the burgeoning pandemic and its effects, one thing has not yet been emphasized.
For many of us, UPS, FedEx, USPS and smaller similar outfits have been, and will be, lifelines.
I’ve been pretty lucky so far; I’ve stocked up slowly, making one trip per day in the off hours, and I’ve found what I was looking for (as long as I’m not looking for P95 masks). Cat supplies, check. Rice and beans, check. Personal hygiene doodahs, check, check, check.
But I’ve also been hugely dependent on the Big Three — FedEx, UPS, and the Postal Service. Because I have a few health issues, and I use a few specialty items, and you just can’t find them reliably in Brick And Mortar World anymore.
With predictable exceptions (P95 masks) I’ve been amazed that everything I’ve searched for online has been available from at least one reliable supplier — including my pet brand of instant espresso, which grocery stores in my area have suddenly dropped like a hot rock. I can withstand a siege for months if I must, but far better with coffee than without. And so far, prices have remained reasonable — for this form of retail.
What has amazed me most, though, is that everything is arriving. Intact. On time. As ordered. Now. During what must be a massive run on all of these online suppliers, and the associated shippers. They haven’t missed a beat.
I find myself, now, thinking, several times a day, about all the people running up and down in the Amazon warehouses, and other places from which I buy; the folks running forklifts; the folks putting packages together; the folks picking up those packages, and moving them, and processing them, and scanning them, and making it possible for me to track them; and always, always, the people who actually deliver them.
This is the thread that is holding our country together, far more than we realize. And I know these people are, and will be, saving lives by making it more possible for others to shelter in place. And they will be taking more and more risk themselves as they do so.
So just for a moment, think about the people who are doing this for you, or for someone you love. And wish them well. With everything you’ve got, wish them well.