As I find peace and freedom in being able to take in the fresh air on a long bike ride, I find my wonderland halted when I have to stop at a red light… which brings me within an “unsafe” social distance and sneers for not dawning my mask.
I find joy in how small businesses are flourishing on Etsy as the makers are making it and inspiring others to explore their creativity and entrepreneurship. Ecommerce has never seen the likes of this consumerism as Amazon stock soars along with unforeseen and opportunistic revenues of thousands of online businesses.
For my own business, I have come to realize that remote work really can work and has opened my eyes to a much wider pool of talent that is just a ZOOM call away. For my clients who are all over the country, we have a much closer connection as the old norm was impersonal phone calls; the new norm is quality facetime interaction with video calls. No longer do I fear the computer camera! For my employees with small children, especially newborns, this time has been an unprecedented blessing in being able to nurture and be a full-time hands-on parent while still managing to maintain their work obligations. This perspective will change the way we lead our company and view family and work life balance moving forward.
It is wonderful to see my neighborhood come together to light up our street with holiday cheer and strangers that once would simply pass by, stop and engage in a socially distanced conversation as a posse of teenagers congregate on e-bikes.
Yet the impact on the service industry has been devastating. So many small entrepreneurs that have put their entire lives into their restaurants, gyms, and salons have taken the brunt of the lockdown. While they followed every protocol required, and invested in restructuring their environments to be compliant, with a swift stroke of mandate they found themselves once again treading water to survive.
COVID-19 is not fair or equal. It has taken many lives too soon and perhaps even helped win our presidential election. It has illuminated the good in people and has brought families closer together, while ripping others apart. It’s time to let our world start to heal as the vaccine is now approved and getting in the hands of those who need it most.
Let’s learn from what made us better and stronger, and come together to heal the many lives that have been overwhelmed by the isolation and loss. We are all stronger together and will win this battle.