I wake up in the morning and think about doing some good; it grounds me and sets a friendly tone for the day. Doing good seems to block out a lot of the poison and anger, and violence in the air.

I thought it was time to bring some chocolate to the pharmacy workers at my local Walgreens. They are, without question, unsung heroes more than two years into the pandemic. I appreciate them; their routine jobs turned chaotic and emotional overnight and stayed that way.

They dealt with constantly changing federal regulations, new directions from the company, frightened, confused, and often angry customers who took their frustrations and rage on them. And worst of all, people who can’t afford to pay for their medicine are forced to bargain for pills.

They dealt with mandates and tests, vaccines and boosters, rude people, and the usual insanity, expense, and confusion of Big Pharma, a mysterious series of monster corporations that nobody understands.

The staff was always good to me, and I didn’t know any of them.

Not only was I constantly calling them when medications get mixed up, mysteriously rejected, or lost in the system, but I got my two vaccines and a booster there along with a flu shot. They were and are consistently courteous, receptive, and helpful. They made a big difference to me as I struggled to figure out the pandemic and how I was supposed to deal with it.

This week was hole-in-the-donut time for me. $800 for medicine that normally costs $120, $400 for another that costs a fourth of that. When I come to pick it up or pull in the window, there is always a voice warning me of the high cost, and telling me they are sorry.

The people who can’t pay are the worst thing about a good job, one told me. I am fortunate. I can pay.

I don’t know what was happening inside their heads while all of this craziness was going on,  but it never really showed or affected their work.

People can dump on young people all they want, but the kids at the Walgreen’s Pharmacy worked tough day after day. And like health care workers, there were no easy days.

I decided a year ago to bring them boxes of chocolate balls and mints to thank them.

This was very much appreciated, and, I could see, needed, as they looked more and more exhausted as the days went by. The lines grew longer, the angry people were more offensive, the government changed its rules constantly, and everybody else was confused and worried.

There seemed a blizzard of instructions, many sudden and confusing and short-lived.

Things didn’t let up for these people, primarily young; it just got a lot worse before it got better. The chocolate became a bi-monthly habit.

As things got worse, I thought they needed the chocolate more and more. One of them told me this helped their morale; it showed that they were appreciated, something most people were too distracted to mention.

I saw too many rude idiots taking out their stupidity on these people, who couldn’t fight back or talk back. They just had to take it.

We all take things for granted. But I never took them for granted. I think lots of people didn’t.

They were always there for me when I needed them, both to walk me through the pandemic and keep my medications coming, which is rarely a simple or easy thing.

I never blame them for the outrageously high prices, government policies, many, or corporate instructions.

Walgreen’s should be proud of them. I hope they are.

People like that keep our world running, often under challenging circumstances. Today, I asked one of them if it was time for more chocolate. She smiled through the window. “Yes,” she said, “It’s getting better, but I think it’s time.”

This was yet another example of how and why doing good is selfish. It always makes me feel better, even as things sometimes get worse. I am happy to share my joy with the people at Walgreen’s.