Gratitude for Toilets?

By Lauren Sherman, P.E., Project Manager, Civil Engineering Division

We’re over halfway through one unbelievably strange and scary year.  2020 has somehow managed to feel like both the longest and shortest year ever.  March through August blurred into one big, hazy month and suddenly we’re closing in on the end of summer.

There are uncertainties regarding students going back to school, preparing for upcoming holidays/social events and no clear-cut path forward.  There are new fears and feelings that surfaced during this time and most of us have struggled, and continue to struggle, with day-to-day life being so different from what we knew only months ago.  With so many unknowns and far too many information sources to fathom, it’s difficult to know how to act, what to feel or what to think.

One of the buzzwords that has emerged from this time is “gratitude”.  If there is one thing that this time has done for many of us, it has allowed us to cultivate a sense of gratitude for the little things, as well as the big things, that we’re fortunate enough to have in our lives.  While I am grateful to be spending more time with family and learning to slow things down, I am also grateful for some things that most of us tend to take for granted.  Being cooped up has worn on us, especially those who are trying to parent while working full-time jobs remotely.  Imagine how much additional stress would have been experienced if our water or sewer services were disrupted and we were unable to have clean drinking water or functioning sanitary facilities.  Since March, our homes have generally been our safest places; we have running water, electricity and protection from the elements.  Municipal workers, field staff, engineers and others work behind the scenes day after day to keep facilities running smoothly (think of all the hoarded toilet paper and wipes that have been flushed since March!) so that there are a few less things for people to worry about on a regular basis.

Our firm has been working full-time since the onset of Coronavirus and continues to support our clients and the community by providing our full range of services to those who need them, no matter how big or small the project task(s) may be.  It’s important to remember that we’re all in this together.  As a community, we need to continue to band together, practice kindness and remind each other that there’s a light at the end of the pipe – and in all seriousness, don’t flush wipes down the toilet, your plumbing and municipality will thank you for it.