Everyone loves a parade.

I know we are a long way away from a parade in any city around the world at this point, but I can’t wait for the next one. Being able to visualize beautiful things like the next big parade may just be the thing that gives us all hope and belief that we will get through this together.

The parade that comes to mind as I write this is the unforgettable parade thrown for the NBA Champion, Toronto Raptors, just a few short months ago. It was truly awesome. The players on the top of several double-decker buses and fans 20 rows deep on both sides of the street and 20 or more blocks long. It was a tremendous outpouring of love for a team that gave a city and a country the hope and belief that the little guy could win, that the underdog can come out ahead, and that with the right leadership (and a lucky bounce) we can all win.

I think the next parade will be different.

The next big parade in Toronto or in any city around the world won’t be about a sports team. It won’t be about the commercialization of a religious event or the opening up of the next shopping season. It will not be about celebrating a Saint or even a country’s birthday.

The next parade will celebrate the real heroes and the new world which we have awoken to. It will celebrate the medical community that stood up when they were called upon to help others. It will celebrate the emergency services that did what needed to be done to keep our streets safe, our homes standing and our ill taken care of. It will be for all of the grocery store and drug store employees who made sure that we had the food and medications that helped the young and old alike, stay healthy. It will be for all the people who, when duty called, stepped up and got the job done.

You know who should be at that parade? All of us. Every single human being in every city, every town and every village around the world. We will all need to celebrate when we get through this and get to a place where we are once again allowed to gather in large groups. We need to cheer from the top of our lungs for everyone who stepped up, we need to cheer the procession of everyday people who (picture this) are all wearing the same t-shirt, but featuring the company, hospital or service that they work for. We need to cheer for them and for the opportunity for our community to come together.  

 We need to cheer because we got to the other side of this…together. We will have a moment of silence for all the incredible people that we lost, but we must look forward. We must have hope. We must aspire to make the world a better place for everyone today, but more importantly, recognize that we are all in this together as we move forward and we only win when everyone feels like they are part of the parade

You’re going to love this parade.

See you there.

Pete