Looking past the noise

With the world suffering with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to get lost in all of the 24/7 media coverage highlighting all of the numbers and scenario being thrown around by everyone from talk show hosts to TV doctors of what can happen if we don’t comply with CDC recommendations, the focus on the infection rate and death rate, the massive layoffs and the possibility of the economy crashing….permanently. 

For many, especially our older population, this alone is enough to send many into deep depression and then add to that, the isolation and not being able to see their family and friends. In time we will all get past this and we will once again be able to see our loved ones and get back to being social again in the new normal.

 Hope and blessings are all around us if we choose to open our eyes and just look past the noise. In the last few weeks, I have seen so much hope from individuals that have gone out of their way to find PPE product for our first responders, food drives for our most vulnerable, drive by weddings and birthday parties to large corporations that have flipped their core manufacturing of cars, vacuumed cleaners, clothing, etc. to now designing and manufacturing masks, face shields and ventilators in record time. This just shows me that without all of the walls that try to contain us and strangling regulations and oversight, we can do anything we set our minds on. It frees us to think outside of the box (or walls) and lets us dream of what's actually possible.

Sure the pandemic is horrible and many terrible things have happened because of this but wonderful and unexpected things have also come from this global tragedy. Families are home together, reconnecting, having dinner as families and I think this is huge as we all need to re-connect more. While the world has become more connected thru social media it has also has made us more anti-social as nothing beings people together better than being together!

Personally in 30+ years of being in the industry that I'm in today, and looking back on all of the projects and programs I have proudly been part of, nothing has meant more to me or has been more gratifying than being part of this global fight. What was the blessing that I was looking for in all of this doom and gloom, realizing that I am part of an organization and team that manufactures critical products to many of the medical device companies manufacturing ventilators and other medical devices critical to the Covid-19 fight, and that ultimately supports the critical care of our fellow humans around the world. For me, its about purpose, and knowing that what we do everyday matters. I have also seen first-hand the power of asking WHAT IF, the power of free thinking and the power of everyone fighting for the same thing and for the purpose that dives them individually.

During this Holiday and for Holidays to come, shut the TV off, unplug from all the bad news, spend time with who you can physically (or for now virtually) and even spend time alone assessing the things that really matter and are important to you and I promises that the blessing you seek and the things that you may have forgot about, the things that gives YOU purpose will make themselves present. 

In the meantime, keep yourself and your families safe and healthy and see you all on the other side of this. Chest bumps, high fives, elbow bumps and jazz hands all welcome:-)

Happy Easter to you all.