Unprecedented Times

By Brian Newton, CPA

I know – cliché, over-used, watered down, but yet so true. I’m not going to sugar coat it – the last four months have been really difficult for us all. On the personal side, my son’s senior year was cut short, my daughter’s soccer season was shut down, family get togethers have been scrapped and the Iowa State Fair was cancelled. Friends and acquaintances have been sick or have had loved one’s die.

I’ve had clients have 100% of their revenue disappear while others have faced mandated closures and significant business interruptions. While we are all dealing with this thing together, clearly it is impacting some more than others. We are inundated with negativity and bad news in real time – there is no hiding from it, no denying it.

I don’t claim to be a self-help guru, but I do want to share a few things I’ve done to try and keep some sanity and positivity during these “unprecedented times.”

• Family – With two teenagers in my household, our quality family time pre-March was scattered to say the least. The last four months have brought us closer together through hiking trips, game nights and Netflix shows.
• Friends – I’ve had bi-weekly Zoom meetings over the last couple months with a group of old college buddies, some that I hadn’t talked to or seen in more than 10 years. Its been nice to reconnect with people outside the Des Moines area and catch up.
• Social Media – I’ve finally realized that both Twitter and Facebook can often be a cesspool of negativity. Sadly, I’ve migrated much of my social media time to TikTok, where people post silly videos of themselves with weird music. I may or may not have appeared in one of my daughter’s TikTok creations.
• Exercise – My poor dog has been on more walks the past few months than she can probably handle. I now look forward to working out, getting on the bike or even doing yardwork around the house.

I’ve learned to appreciate the little things more and more each passing day and when this is all over, I know that I will be a better person for it.

Brian Newton, CPA | Shareholder
BNewton@MHCScpa.com