Gratitude is key to navigating uncertainty

The only certainties so far in 2020 have been staying home and learning to use Zoom: who was that person who dropped in on the live-stream Easter family dinner? How do I stop a team member from looking at my messy house?  Should I put on my suit to go to the basement?

In previous articles, I have written about estate planning and having tough but necessary conversations with family in order to sort out some of the planning parts of your life. The reality we are living in right now confirms that life is unpredictable and urges us to have open communication that fosters understanding and trust -- and gratitude for what and who we have in our lives.

For me, gratitude is essential. When we speak with clients each day, my colleagues and I are grateful for their trust as we help them navigate the challenging conditions in which we all live. Our message is that, like our communities, charities, and small businesses, our economy will rebound. Investments will regain what they have lost. It will take time and demand patience, but keeping calm is the best thing to do. There will be a recovery. Looking back through history, we can see that there always is.

I am grateful for clients who ask how our team and our families are doing. I am grateful for having a job when many are losing theirs. The current pandemic brings perspective and makes me deeply thankful for the generous gestures of others -- like the many essential and frontline workers who are putting the wellbeing of others ahead of themselves. I join you in thanking them for risking their own health and the health of people important to them to make sure that others in our community get care, food, and shelter.

I look forward to getting back to bumping into familiar faces at the farmers’ market on a Saturday morning. I am grateful for the food we have access to but I think we can all agree on this: the apples and cinnamon buns we get at the grocery store just don’t compare to the ones we look forward to at the market.

See you there soon.