COVID Files #8: 5/8/20
Hello Members and Friends -
This past Tuesday, we wrapped up our 6-week virtual “Financial Fitness” series. NYA believes in contributing to both member and community health beyond physical fitness. These fiscal seminars were a resource for people to explore their financial health and well-being. Local Certified Financial Planner Anthony Leonardi led the sessions and did a fantastic job starting off each week with an easy to understand synopsis of how the virus was impacting the global financial picture. Anthony also had a “theme of the week” to inspire positivity and perspective. The theme for this week was “There is a light.”. Over the 6 weeks of the course, the Dow Jones has started to creep back up after the horrific drop-off which happened in late February and conversations have begun to shift to re-opening as other countries and states begin to ease back regulations. We’re by no means out of the woods, but you can start to see little glimmers starting to shine through.
Even with signs of light, what the future holds for us all is still unknown. The physical, emotional and financial tolls the pandemic is having on individuals, families, businesses, and organizations is going to take a long time to fully realize and recover from. The landscape of life is going to look a lot different from what we were used to not even 2 months ago. But is that all bad? I’m sure many of you have seen the Youtube hit “The Great Realisation” by Probably Tomfoolery (Tomos Roberts). This poem, told as a children’s bedtime story in the format of a short video, is a beautiful expression of how we can choose to view what this time has given us as opposed to taken away. I highly encourage you to check it out if you haven’t seen it already, or re-watch it if you have. Because we are going to have to work hard to preserve the gifts that we’ve been given during this time, “The Great Realisation” can help serve as an inspirational reminder as we reintegrate society and rebuild community. And we must surrender to the fact that things will be different and people may be different from what we remember. Kind of like when you bump into an old high school or college classmate 20 years later. Chances are they are NOT the same as you recall! So, applaud the resilience, growth, adaptation, and emotional maturity you recognize in not only people, but businesses and organizations – and in yourself! Meet them where they are with an open mind and open heart, opposed to judging them on where they’re not. What unites us is that we are all trying to do the best we can.
As we move towards the light that is beginning to peak through, let us not forget what The Great Realisation reveals - “hindsight is 2020.”
Stay active and be well!
Yours in good health,
Ian Yorty
Executive Director
