Allen Woods, Executive Director
March 23, 2020
To say that the last couple of months of dealing with the Coronavirus and what it means for my household has been an adjustment would be an understatement. Wait… You said it’s only been a little over a week? Well, for what definitely feels like much longer, my family has been navigating this new normal, trying to stay active (and out of the kitchen). I have gone on more Target & Kroger runs in the last two weeks than I did in the first two months of the year combined, and we’re finding things to do that we never would have done under “normal” conditions; things like buying our first 1000 piece puzzle that is currently dominating my dining room table.
This thing has been challenging. There have been feelings of accomplishment and moments of frustration. There was the time when my youngest daughter had a moment because the specific piece she needed to complete the portion of the puzzle she was working “missing”, and she was so focused on the disappointment of not having that piece in her hand that she couldn’t recognize all of that we’d achieved together so far. There was another time when we all took a Chamomille & lavender tea break because folks were stressing out. But no matter what happened, we kept returning to that dining room table – each time, allowing our dedication to pay off a little more. Sorting pieces, finding a few small solutions that would ultimately lead to larger solutions. The more we got accomplished the more we wanted to keep going because it felt like this goal was in reach. The vision was coming to pass, and what was once “missing” was now found.
This last week has been trying for most of us – especially the entrepreneurs who are trying to make decisions today that will keep their businesses open in the future. We are trying to piece together our lives amongst circumstances that we can’t control. We’re referring back to our boxes, looking at our plans for what this time in our lives was supposed to look like. When it seems unfamiliar, we feel compelled to walk away, to blow off some steam – but those of us who are dedicated to this entrepreneur-life understand that sooner or later we will return to the table. And when we do, life will make a little more sense, and we’ll feel like we’re a little closer to reaching our goals.
I don’t know what’s on the horizon for us. I don’t know how long it will take for us to figure out this journey that we’ve been handed. I don’t know if this time of social distancing will drive us closer together once we can hug again. But what I do know is that this doesn’t have to break us. I know that this thing is challenging. And I know that if we put our minds together – and come together, we have all of the pieces that we need to complete this puzzle.
Stay well.
Stay strong.
Stay indoors.
Allen
