Collaboration with a Purpose: Thank You, Profession – Unsung Heroes!

Finally it’s time for the collaboration post! It felt like it took a while to get to today; maybe because I tossed a few non-collaboration posts in between the intro post and this. 😆

As I mentioned in my intro post a few days ago, today is the day we celebrate the professions that should be celebrated! And for my topic, I went with unsung heroes. 😀

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Unsung Heroes?

As always, let’s start with a dictionary definition!

unsung hero
noun
a person who makes a substantive yet unrecognized contribution; a person whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged
~From Dictionary.com: Unsung Hero

I find it’s sad when one contributes something great, but no one sings any praises for him/her. I’m sure it happens a lot in this competitive society, where employees are all fighting each other for that one promotion, but it still doesn’t make it any less sad. 🙁

Why This Topic?

Truth be told, I originally planned to write about the awesome nurses (and doctor, too!) when I had my surgery a couple of months ago and stayed at the hospital for a few days. But I realised that topic was a little limiting – why stop at doctors and nurses? What about other jobs?

This post was also inspired by a short story I read as a kid called “Unsung Heroes”! It was part of a short story collection about a group of schoolchildren aged 10 – 12 and was focused on a boy who was the brainiac of the group (not quite a genius but he was always at the top of the class). At the start of the story, he was getting arrogant and looking down on “low-class jobs” like hawker food stall owners and garbage truck workers. I think he was scolded but didn’t learn his lesson. 😅

So one day, this boy finished school and returned home expecting lunch as always, but his mother wasn’t home for some reason and left a note telling him to buy his own lunch. Disgruntled, he thought he’d have chicken rice from his favourite chicken rice hawker stall some walking distance away. (Now I feel like eating chicken rice too. 😆)

However, things didn’t go according to plan. The chicken rice stall was closed due to unforeseen circumstances of some sort (a strike?), so he decided to go to another stall and take a shortcut through a back alley. CRASH! He ended up among a mountain of trash bags, shouting why these weren’t cleared, and an old woman nearby mentioned the garbage truck workers were on strike. (I think? 😅)

One mishap led to another, and by the time his mother came home close to dinner time, he arrived hungry and covered in garbage. After that he learned his lesson and never thought of these jobs as “low-class jobs” or unnecessary anymore!

I don’t remember the name of the series or even the name of the boy, but the memory of the story stuck in my mind despite only reading it once or twice (I think it was library book?). That was how much it inspired me. 📖

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Thank You, Unsung Heroes!

Warning: This section contains a lot of enthusiastic exclamation marks! 😆

In no particular order:

Nurses!

Doctors are great (especially the one who treated my fibroid problem a couple of months back!), but the ones who really deserve praise are nurses! While a patient’s treatments are dictated by the doctor, it’s really the nurses who care for the patient day in and out, making sure their medicine are taken on time and their water jugs are constantly filled, helping them to wash when they couldn’t do it properly themselves, plus they work in around-the-clock shifts (even at night) to make sure a patient is cared for. The nurses during my recent hospital stay were smiley and enthusiastic, making me feel equally smiley and enthusiastic throughout! 😀

Paramedics and Ambulance Drivers!

Thankfully I haven’t yet had to call an ambulance for an emergency, but what about those who have to? When an emergency happens, we rely on these people to move quickly and act timely to make sure lives are saved! These people also work around-the-clock shifts, even night ones, so that there’s always an ambulance or two (or a battalion of them) to respond to an emergency at any time. 🚑

(And while we’re at it, shame on those who do prank calls on emergency lines! Think about what would happen if they weren’t there during your emergency because they were too busy dealing with someone else’s prank call. 🙁)

Firefighters!

Fire may have been a great companion when mankind learned how to utilise it for warmth and light and to cook that yummy steak, but it remains a finicky force of nature that could turn on us at any time if we aren’t careful. And who fights it when that happens? Firefighters who work day and night to respond to fire emergencies! 🚒

(A side note: I learned during a first aid class that when a fire happens, we’re not supposed to wait around for the firefighters to save us. They’re there to put out the fire because if they don’t, more lives would be lost. Whoever who are capable of moving, even pregnant women, should make their way to an exit and, if the situation permits, help those who can’t out as well. And more importantly, don’t panic!)

Police Patrol Officers!

I’m sure you’ve seen a police stereotype or two (doughnut lovers? Overweight or extra buff? Are these stereotypes even true?), but regardless of whether they love doughnuts or mashed potatoes, the fact remains that they work on, yes, day-and-night shifts to respond to any emergency situations like robbery and keep us safe! 🚓

Military Occupations!

As much as I dislike war and violence, military officers are necessary because they risk their lives to keep us safe, so that we can enjoy peace! (While I don’t agree with wars, the ones at fault for causing / prolonging wars aren’t these soldiers; they’re just following orders.) So thank you for your service! [salutes]

(Yet another side note – side notes are fun to write 😆 – this instalment of one of my favourite advice columns features a military officer who is tired of being thanked for his service to the point of distraction. It’s certainly a reminder to keep thanks courteous but brief, if any! Even though where I live we don’t see uniformed soldiers very often, I’m sharing this just in case. 😀)

Teachers!

How are we to live without teachers? They are the ones who shape the future by influencing the next generation! They are our role model when we’re kids, our guidance when we’re teenagers, our memories when we’re adults. 😀

I don’t have very good memories with some teachers, but I’ve met really good and even inspiring ones too! There was one chemistry teacher who everyone thought was super strict and scary (I did too), but when she found out I could play the piano, she smiled nicely and said she was taking beginner piano lessons. She was pretty old, like 50’s at the time, and she was still very passionate about it! Who said one couldn’t be passionate as one ages?

Agricultural Workers!

Without farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers, where are we going to get the food that current sits in our fridges and pantries? If we were all to hunt and grow our own food, the wild would run out of animals and vegetation in no time!

Also, special thanks to those who grow and raise organic food! With all the preservatives and unwanted stuff going around the food industry, kudos to you for providing us with a healthier option. 🍈🍊🍋🍅🍇

Water and Water Treatment Workers!

It’s so easy to take water for granted – especially when we can get them with a turn of a tap – so have you thought of how our water are processed? Raw water from a natural source contains lots of undesirable stuff like bacteria and fungi, so it’s processed until it’s safe for us to consume. Our sewage waste are processed so that safe-quality water is returned back to the environment. Without these processes, our world would eventually run out of water! 💧

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors!

I’m not going to go into numbers so do go ahead and ask Uncle Google, but boy, do we throw a lot of trash every day! Without these people working in refuse and recycling occupations, our world would turn into one gigantic garbage dump one day. These may be undesirable jobs, collecting trash from houses, but they’re certainly necessary. 🗑

Electrical and Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers!

Thanks to electrical companies, we have power for our devices! Thanks to phone and internet providers, we can connect to the digital world! But how much thought have we put into those who actually install the cables? While many of us complain of the slower internet speed when the cross-country seabed cables are damaged, who repairs them? They do!⚡

Construction Workers!

Sure, the architect designed your house, but who built it? It’s not just about lugging stuff here and there; it takes dedication and skills to follow the architect’s measurements to the dot! If the support structure of a building was sloppily done, well, you don’t want to imagine what might happen later, do you? 🏠

Truck Drivers!

Let’s face it; how many of us curse when one of those gigantic trucks end up in front of us while we’re driving on the road? But without these drivers, how do products go from factory to shelf? How do food go from farms to shops? Whatever we buy, a truck driver is sure to have a drive in it! (And nope, digital products don’t count, unless they come in a physical box. 😛)

And Many More!

There are so many jobs I’m thankful for that I risk writing too much! Like volunteer workers (animal shelters, orphanages, elderly care, etc) and creative occupations (writers, musicians, artists, video game makers, etc for stuff that make my life extra fun). So before I write so much that you’d take a week to finish reading this, I’ll stop here and reiterate that there are no unnecessary jobs. 😀

(Of course, I’m just talking about legal jobs! Illegal ones like robbers and stuff aren’t necessary. 😅)

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Thank You, My Blogger Family!

Aaaaand we have a bonus section!

While technically a blogger isn’t a profession, this theme is just perfect for me to thank all of you bloggers for the fantastic blogs you have! And extra thank you for spreading inspiration, motivation and positivity. ❤️

Thank You, My Collaboration with a Purpose Blogger Family!

And here’s an extra special section for my collaboration family; yesterday I nominated my entire blogger family for the Blogger Recognition Award! They are:

• Addison D’Marko
• Ajibola Sunday @ Inspirational Motivation
• Barb Caffrey @ Barb Caffrey’s Blog
• Camilla Motte @ Moms on the Go
• Divyang Shah @ i think my way
• Ipuna Black
• Jane Love @ Harmonious Joy
• Joel A Scott
• Jothish Joseph @ TheJothishJosephBlog
• Manal Ahmad a.k.a. iamthatgirl23 @ Sensible Nonsense
• Mylene C. Orillo
• Sadaf Siddiqi
• Sonyo Estavillo @ ‘Lil Pick Me Up
• Tajwar Fatma @ LifeAsWeHaveNeverKnownIt

Thank you for being my wonderful collaboration blogger family! ❤

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Hope you enjoy this instalment of Collaboration with a Purpose post! As always, do let me know what you think. 😀

~Nicolle ❤

A Short Self-Compassionate Letter

Dear Self,

It’s wonderful how you took the time and effort to thank those unsung heroes! It shows how much you care. ❤

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Read More on Collaboration with a Purpose: Thank You, Profession

• Addison D’Marko: Thank You: Neuro Science
• Barb Caffrey @ Barb Caffrey’s Blog: Thank a Teacher Today, via Collaboration with a Purpose
• Divyang Shah @ i think my way: Thank You Profession
• Ipuna Black: Thank You, Police Officers
• Jane Love @ Harmonious Joy: Showing Gratitude – Thank You Parents for Being Awesome
• Jothish Joseph @ TheJothishJosephBlog: Thank You Profession!
• Mylene C. Orillo: Thank You, Soldiers!
• Sadaf Sidiqqi: Thank You, Profession.
• Sonyo Estavillo @ ‘Lil Pick Me Up: The Las Vegas Massacre: Honoring Our Heroes in Blue
• Tajwar Fatma @ LifeAsWeHaveNeverKnownIt: Journey of a Lifetime – A Tribute to My Profession

Collaboration with a Purpose Index