Confessions and Reflections
I am very proud to be married to my wife, Anne Michele, who is an emergency room nurse at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Three weeks ago, she had exposure to several patients who had the coronavirus while she was at work. She was adamant that I stay home until the fourteen-day secondary transmission risk was all clear. So, I packed up my technology, put up a folding table I use for UGA tailgates, and I began to work in the basement. The next two and a half weeks were surreal, to say the least, and now that I am back in the office, I wanted to share some reflections, admissions, and confessions.
Confessions
– I love my routine! I love doing the same routine during the week and then the same weekend routine. I get stressed when the routine is not the same or when someone tries to change it. I stayed stressed while I was at home because everything was so different.
– I am a complainer. I am a baby when things don’t go my way. So, when my “normal” went away, I got whinny. I will also admit I tried to nickname myself silky smooth in high school buy I got named “whaa” instead. I heard “ o shut up Whaa” a lot back then. So, the Whaa in me came out a lot while stuck in my basement.
– I wore shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt to work in during those two weeks.
– I ate the same foods for every meal. That was strange, and I can’t explain it. I just felt better for some reason.
– I took some naps during market hours.
– My family stayed away from me due to my attitude.
– I got lectured twice while in the grocery store for not wearing a mask and walking the wrong way in the condiments aisle. I admit I was not receptive to the reprimand.
– I was rude to the store clerk when he would not let me buy an already assembled office chair. I can’t stand assembling anything. So, I walked out.
– I was jealous of Carlos, Bobbie, Tara, and Christina. Why me?
– My daughter did not take the social distancing seriously.
– My son turned 16, we could go out to eat, and he could not get his drivers licenses.
– This is a big one! I have often wondered just what does my wife really don on her days off? Anything?
Reflections
– Now that I am back at work, I can look back and see that a lot of good came out of my shelter in place time. There will be some changes to my routine and my thought process that will be beneficial going forward.
– I have never liked Zoom meetings. However, we had one for my Aunt Patty in West Virginia, and I had a great time. I talked with her and my cousins. We agreed to have more meetings in the future, which is exciting for me. We also did a session with my wife’s family, which was equally delightful and are also going to have more meetings.
– I have always felt blessed to work for Dominguez & Jones. But now, I am even more thankful for my work family. Why? I realized how much I enjoy being around them all every day. I thought I was a loner only to find out I might just be a people person.
– I was able to spend time working on portfolios and my managing process. I can see this being beneficial to my partners and our clients in the future.
– We can all be selfish at times, and I can be the most selfish. However, I found myself wanting to help any in need at my church, neighborhood, and family. I also found myself concerned for the people in our town who had the virus. My desire to help others has grown.
– I got to see what my wife does for our household every day when she is not working. Wow! She stays busy working around the house and in the community. I was impressed. I am, for sure, a blessed man.
– So, I had a good bit of my life change due to the coronavirus. However, I will be sure some of the change turns me into a better financial advisor and a better John Lilly.
