Several factories Neville wanted to tour were in the process of closing up. International Harvester had already been downsized and bought by Mattel. While I was working on that, they moved operations to Kentucky, and, just last week, Mattel moved all of its operations overseas. It was interesting-I could see the global economy at work. I noticed, for instance, that Scrabble tiles are no longer made in the United States.
Every week there's something.
But when she did find factories still in operation, she saw sights as laden with meaning as any found in nature. Almost everywhere she went, Neville found that people took pride in what might seem on the surface like menial or meaningless work. Behind every cookie, behind every Barbie Corvette, is a process and a person. Including your own time and other people's lives. I see it more clearly.