What is this Strange and Not-So-Distant Land?

I’ve started typing a dozen plus times over the past 5 years, and repeatedly locked up the ramblings. Who wants to read about (insert weird personal journey here), I’d tell myself time and again, and shut it down.

Now standing at my dresser, listening to my pup snore in the background, kiddo and dad talk star destroyers in the kitchen and watching the cold, rainy day drip sadly around the faded inflatable horse in the backyard, and I’m compelled again to share. I’m not sure anyone cares now differently than any other time I’ve started and stopped, but for sure I am not the only person in this moment wondering what crazy reality we are living in today.

February 18th, we headed for LAX wearing sequins, glittered and feathered hats and garish colors, making our annual trek home for Mardi Gras. We stopped in the Phoenix Centurion lounge for dinner and drinks and landed in New Orleans just past midnight. The next ten days were a mix of family, friends, trinkets, costumes, dancing in the street, sharing, hugging and spreading joy. Saturday I rode in Iris, with more than 3000 other women, threw over 2000 trinkets into a sea of people across the 6-ish mile route. Sunday we planted on Napoleon for six hours with friends and kids, sharing and catching and dancing. Fat Tuesday we were out by 8 and home by 2, after over a hundred floats in close quarters and sharing food, drink and restrooms with strangers.

The news really started to break while we were there, but didn’t feel heavy till we prepped for the return trip. We targeted the back of the plane, packing Lysol wipes and hand-washing and sanitizing like crazy. We joked with flight attendants who said planes had never been cleaner. We jumped whenever someone nearby coughed.

The day after we landed back in LA, we drove to Fontana for the Autoclub 400, shared a suite with maybe 30 strangers and walked the pit with hundreds more. The day after that, I was back in our office of less than 100, interviewing and hosting partners and clients and back to work as usual, though watching the news and assessing our travel risks daily. That week, several of our clients started to postpone live programs. Major conferences and events across the country started cancelling. Two of my team loaded in a show, only to turn around and load out after a protest shuttered the conference before it started. Our industry started to shut down.

A week and a half into being back, leadership sent an early AM email closing the office. The clients who hadn’t previously postponed were now looking for spending updates. The following week, half of our privately-owned company was laid off and we ended the week focused on motivating those remaining to see the future and take responsibility for building what comes next.

That was three weeks ago. Since, we’ve united the company and are constantly working to refocus our efforts on what we are and can do, what we can sell as an engagement agency when we are legally restricted from engaging in person. Of course, there’s opportunity in challenge and this is no different, but WE ARE DIFFERENT and the landscape is different.

Today, like the lucky among us, I’m working from home where I’m severely underprepared for what that means. My 4 year old has been home with my husband since we moved to LA two years ago, and smalls is so grateful mom’s home for lunch he nearly hasn’t mentioned not going to the playground. My husband’s biggest challenge, now that we’ve agreed random screaming in the background of my calls is somehow acceptable, is peeing with the bathroom door closed. My dog just wishes the rain would stop, but loves nothing more than all of us together.

Like so many, I’m not sure how we got here and certainly am not sure how we are supposed to get out. I do know I’m doing my best to treat this like any other adventure (some days better than others) and am working to embrace the moment, create opportunity and be present, not allowing the unknowns to get the best of me, and to find the right path for us for right now.

To you and yours, I wish safety, sanity and health.