What I Learned in Oklahoma: The Essentials

Brandon King is Oklahoma Today’s spring intern.

It’s your friendly quarantined Oklahoma Today intern here with another installment of Oklahoma’s favorite blog (at least, that’s what my Mom says): What I Learned in Oklahoma. If you’d like to read the previous entries, just click here or here or here.

You probably want to read another COVID-19 story about as much as you’d like to lick a doorknob, but please indulge me. Because rather than a paean to being stuck indoors or another sad statistic about how this disease is hurting our friends and families, I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to some people who are doing their best out here in madness: Oklahoma’s essential workforce.

After some digging, I was able to find how many jobs are deemed essential in Oklahoma. Would you like to take a guess? Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Give up? It’s almost seventy various occupations that are required to be in operation amid a global pandemic. Every worker who’s been stereotyped as “only here for the check” has a right to their attitude currently. From the healthcare professionals to the grocery store stockers; the delivery drivers and gas station clerks; all the warehouse workers and curbside delivery restaurants: we are with you.

Without question, we’ll never be able to repay you for the things you’ve done while the rest of the world came to a grinding halt; however, there is something Oklahomans can do to assist you.

We should learn to practice pure quarantining. No superfluous supermarket trips. No hanging around outdoors. Even introverts like myself understand those looking for any excuse to get out of the house and the desire to talk with someone, anyone, who isn’t in your home. Unfortunately, these aren’t just the sacrifices we have to make in order to remain healthy; they’re to help those on the frontlines who have no choice but to be out in the open.

One thing that’s given me hope is the attention paid to essential workers who aren’t in the medical field. That means gig workers, delivery drivers, grocery store clerks, and many others who are out there every day, working until they have a chance to come home and repeat it the next day. This new-found respect is not exclusive to Oklahoma, but I find it humbling to be in a state which values these workers. Every day, I speak with people who are grateful for those essential workers who are keeping the rest of us afloat.

Here’s what I learned about Oklahoma: We care about our essential workers and we’re proud enough to set others straight who don’t. So while you’re social distancing and being good quarantiners, please order local and be kind to your fellow Oklahomans. They need you just as much as you need them and their services.

If you’ve got questions or comments for me, please email them to brandon.king@travelok.com.

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Brandon King