Flexibility

While there are countless negative impacts related to COVID-19, there are occasional silver linings to be found. I know several families that have gotten closer because, with their extracurricular activities canceled, they’ve spent more time together. I know some individuals who, to beat cabin fever, started walking regularly and are getting into better shape.

At my house, the forced changes have caused my kids to become more flexible. All three of my kids, to varying degrees, are clock watchers. They adhered to things like “snack time is at 3 pm” and “we leave for the bus at 8:12” religiously. At one school conference, we were even told a story about how one of our kids would get up and use the class restroom five minutes before every special, lunch, or recess.

When everything was thrown for a loop back in March, my kids were forced to be flexible. They had to learn to do their schoolwork in different ways, at different times, and in different locations. Even now with their current hybrid learning structure, what they have to do on a day-to-day basis is very different throughout the week and may change again in the near future.

I am glad they are learning this very important life lesson, probably because it’s one of the reasons I love my job so much. I have held jobs where every single day seemed the same and it definitely wasn’t for me.

I enjoy the fact that every day at Centennial Securities is different. Some days, I sit at my computer working on proposals and portfolios. On others, it feels like I spend my entire day talking. Some days in the market are good, some are bad, and sometimes it feels like nothing happened. I feel like this variance keeps me from falling into a rut.

For one day a week right now, my kids and I have to be flexible together. They have to deal with their in-person teacher for the day (me) being neither highly trained nor their first choice. I have to deal with the occasional wrestling and shouting matches. We all have to deal with the dog barking every time the wind blows.

In the end, I think we’ll all be better off embracing the uncertainty and plowing ahead into the future.

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash