Grateful.

As I write this I am listening to (and watching) Andrea Bocelli perform an Easter concert live from Piazza Duomo in Milan. I am not a church going person per se, but think of myself spiritual so when I heard about this performance I thought it most appropriate while we are homebound on this Holy day. Initially I planned on having it as background music while I wrote this blog but quickly realized I would miss the point of the live performance in the Duomo if I only listened. At that point I fired-up the company laptop so I could write my blog and get the full Bocelli experience on my home computer. As I was waiting for it to go live, I thought my wife and her mom would enjoy as well so I loaded YouTube on our smart TV and loaded it in the queue. It left the three of us in tears.

Easter has always been a time for our family to gather around a meal of lamb and a treat of chocolate Easter eggs. This year will be the same with a twist; the kids will do a “drive-by” to pick-up the goods and take them home. This makes us all sad but it also reinforces the importance of family and the strength it gives us in difficult times.

Being an “essential” business means I still have a job, and more importantly a paycheck. Living downtown has magnified several things for me. One, it has shown how many businesses are considered “non-essential.” I base this assumption on how many fewer vehicles there are on the roads and in parking lots. The other one is even more troubling; the number of homeless. I live downtown and typically see countless people coming and going. There is always a steady stream of people entering and exiting businesses, bars and restaurants with small crowds gathered outside talking or laughing. Electric scooters whiz down the streets dodging cars, pedestrians and other scooters. These sights were the same day after day altered only by inclement weather. My drive now still has people littered on the streets but with a huge difference now. I realize those people left on the streets are homeless. They were always there but invisible to me. The homeless camps would grow slowly until they took over and the police made them move on. Where to I never knew-until now. They were always there hiding in plain sight.

My head hurts when I think of the number of souls that are facing that reality right now. It makes us feel better I suppose saying “Were all in this together” which is true to a point. It seems like a lottery; you still have a job-you win! You don’t, you lose. Who ever thought stocking shelves in a grocery store would be the winning choice? This Easter gives me pause to honestly give thanks for everything I have. Be Safe-Be Well.