Essential

The pandemic forced jobs to change, but then the workers changed, too. Prologue: Guest host Chana Joffe-Walt talks to a carpenter whose job output went from fixing doors to something more urgent in the last year. (9 minutes) Three Bottles of Joy: Station agent Moneta Lewis worked underground to shepherd disappearing commuters during the darkest days of the pandemic. What got her (and her colleagues) through? A miscellany of unexpected items. (7 minutes) The $25 Tip: The pandemic forced restaurant server Shelly Ortiz to put on her “Covid Goggles.” What she saw through them made her reevaluate her ideas of what’s important. (13 minutes) Teacher Number Four: In Maine, early childhood educator Miss Jordyn Rossignol had several members of her workforce quit. But none hit her quite as hard as Shania. (12 minutes) 12 Million Thank You Meals: What does “thank you” actually look like? And who gets one? For Flato Alexander and other essential workers, all sorts of symbols that hadn’t bothered them much before suddenly became unbearable. (14 minutes)