Over the last several weeks my inbox has been flooded with COVID-19 updates, how businesses are responding to the pandemic, and how things might play out for them the next few weeks. The NCAA has cancelled Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments, restaurants have closed, schools have shut down, and you can’t find toilet paper anywhere!
Jeannette and Chip have written excellent blogs on how markets have responded to this crisis and what we can do to protect ourselves and our assets. For the sake of not repeating what they’ve already said, you won’t be getting a history lesson from me today and I won’t include any stats or charts in this blog.
Just a few words of advice I think we could all use right now during this time of isolation…
- Stay calm – Easier said than done, I know. The same folks who are panic buying milk, bread, and toilet paper are the same ones who are panic selling in the markets. Don’t be those people.
- Call your family members – Call your parents, your grandparents, and anyone else you can’t physically be around right now. My great-grandmother is on lockdown at her retirement home and not being able to visit her has been hard for me. This is my reminder to give her a call tonight, and you should do the same with your own family members if you can.
- Spend time with the people you can be around – Bust out the crafts, the board games, play with your kids, play with your dogs, and just be present without the distractions.
- Be productive – If you’re stuck at home take the time to do the things that never seem to get done on your weekend to-do list. Break out the sewing machine you never learned to use (oh wait, that’s me), deep clean your house, look up an at-home workout, meal prep, read a book, there are lots of ways to keep your mind busy and your body moving, even at home.
- Stick to your routines – Our routines keep us grounded. If you’re used to working in an office and have suddenly found yourself at home working remotely in your bath robe, getting dressed for the day may help you feel a sense of normalcy and might even help your productivity. I’m all about the bath robe, but I know as soon as that bad boy goes on, I’ve pretty much cashed out for the day.
- Be kind – Not to say that you shouldn’t be kind every day, but we should be especially kind to those who are in need during this time. Reach out to your elderly neighbors who might be afraid to venture out to the grocery store, send a text to your friend who’s wedding had to be rescheduled, everyone is impacted by this thing in a different way and little bit of kindness can go a long way.
On Monday Governor Mike DeWine and the state Health Department Director, Dr. Amy Acton, put in a “stay at home” order for Ohio residents and mandated that non-essential businesses close until April 6th. While our business is considered essential, we do have several employees working from home during this time and appreciate your patience while we navigate this new normal.
If you have an upcoming meeting and would like to reschedule, please let us know. We are also conducting virtual meetings and phone meetings for those who would still like to meet with us. If you would like to schedule one of those, you can do so through our online scheduler tool, or by calling the office.
Stay healthy and stay safe. We’ll come out on the other side of this stronger.