A compliment?

"Lockdown Linkup"
I offered to do a weekly Newsletter for the members of the little local Presbyterian Church we attend during our Covid19 lockdown. I have called it "Lockdown Linkup".  New Zealand is at level 2 now and gatherings of 100 can meet. There are all sorts of healthy and safety plans to set up so the Church will not return to worship for a week or two yet. So last night I was busy on my computer preparing for Lockdown Linkup number 10. I never thought that I would have to do so many.
Chaplain in waiting..
I am workplace chaplain to Fire, Ambulance and a local Brewery. I have not been able to return to my worksites at each place. The Health and Safety people from their HQ offices have stopped "non essential workers" being on site.  This has led me to feel frustrated, to grief because I was missing my contacts and a bit depressed. 
There is a hard case (NZ for tough, blunt, cheeky) guy at the brewery who loves music and often sends through You Tube links of old music groups on "Messenger", sometimes late at night. I think he gets home from the pub on a Friday night and loosened up and feeling lonely, starts playing and sending music to mates. He looks after the keg plant at the brewery and I hadn't heard from him for awhile.  While I was busy typing my newsletter, I heard the message come through. I went to "Messenger" and he had sent through an old song by the Hollies.. "What's wrong with the way I live!" I responded by saying something like, "That's a good old song, good to hear from you." Shortly after another song by the Hollies came through, "Why didn't you believe!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeoNrGU5-Y0  I was surprised, I hadn't heard it before and it was "religious". So when I told him so, he said it was one of his favourites. (Yet he is not an overtly religious man?) I then asked him how things were going at the brewery. His reply was;

 "Yeah ticking along, missing someone to take the piss out of though. when u back you must have gathered your flock up by now?"

I told him that the H & S bosses still hadn't let "non-essential workers back on site yet" and that they will probably let me come back at Level 1.

"OK sounds good non-essential worker" then a thumbs up sign. 

I LOVE that sort of blunt banter. I took it as a compliment and went back to my typing feeling like I was worthwhile after all.

The heading of this week's newsletter.