No Handshakes, High-fives or Hugs...at least for now.

No handshakes, high fives, or hugs?...this is getting old.

Although I don’t personally know anyone who has contracted the Corona virus, it doesn’t mean I’m not affected by it, or don’t have great feelings of sympathy for those who are suffering or lost their lives.

What this DOES mean is that now is the time for me to seek a broader understanding of this pandemic, both from a health and economic perspective.

It is not the time for us to be political, divisive or crawl in a hole, but a chance to give ourselves the best medicine… to do something, big or small and make a positive difference! Whether it’s in your neighborhood, your country or on the other side of the world, we all have an opportunity to give each other a dose of empathy. Each of our situations are different, and we can respond with action to aid anyone within our reach. After all, we are all in this together.

This pandemic won’t disappear quickly, and there will be many after effects that are still to be determined. Personal health, economic concerns, job related, stress and even cabin fever are just a few. Everyone will have a different response to such an uncertain future. We must march on though, and sooner or later return to what was and not is.

Here at Gable, we have been noticeably affected as well. We are a company of people who are passionate about what we do. Our clients pay us to think, create, build and perform. Our place of business has always seemed more like a home to most of us. We spend a lot of time here doing what we love, and the team of people we work with everyday are like family.

But not today. Our team is very fragmented, many working from home and yes, some not working at all. I miss all of you! For those of us who are still coming into our place of business, it’s a very eerie environment. We are thinking and creating in a whole new way to prepare for a different world when we recover from this. Things will be different. Our clients’ concerns will be different, and we will help solve a host of new problems in ways we hadn’t thought of before.

My “half full” glass tells me that once we get through this pandemic, we’ll be stronger, healthier and more united than ever, and perhaps we will appreciate more of what it means to be “face to face” when we communicate. Maybe more personal interactions with less emails, texts and social media. Of course, that’s fine by me, as I enjoy communicating this way compared to the many alternatives. Yes, I’ve gotten accustomed to “Zoom” but it’s far from the same for me.

Right now, I’m looking forward to that next coffee, meal or drink at my favorite establishment. Around here, it’s been a while since those places have been open, so I’m looking forward to when they do come back to life. Perhaps we’ll see each other and can extend a handshake, high-five or hug!    

Be well everyone!

Paul P. Gable