An update from Tony Caron, President and Principal Advisor, RetireRite Financial Strategies Inc.
Good Day,
We are most definitely going through difficult times trying to deal with the invisible threat of Covid19. It is hard enough to deal with the everyday challenges that we see and understand, never mind something as complicated as a new virus that we know extraordinarily little about.
This Pandemic has affected all our lives in many ways. I remember reading that a society’s strength is measured by how well it takes care of the weak, the poor, and the disabled. Perhaps these times will help us understand that today the world is a small place, and therefore what happens on the other side of the world impacts us all. At the time Canada decided to close its borders, there were three million Canadians out of the country…wow we do like to travel.
The people I enjoy the most are the ones that get excited about tomorrow. The ones that seem positive and find humor everyday. You see, I believe a positive person is very contagious, but I also know that so is a negative person. I used to think that there was something wrong with a person who could be so positive during difficult times. Don’t they understand? Now I understand they were just emotionally matured.
Many are waiting for things to get back to normal, although normal will never look like yesterday. Charles Darwin once said “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, it is the most adaptable to change.” We have all seen examples of this in individuals and we have also seen this in entire counties. Occasionally I catch myself talking about simpler times like when we had a black and white TV with a radio and record player in it. And yes, we had to get up to change the channel. Today we still get up but only to find the lost remote.
Many corporations are considering eliminating formal housing for employees. People working from home has been quite successful for many employers. Quite frankly, I thought working from home was going to happen long before now. Just think of how much lower car pollution would be. Local community driving may make electric cars a good option.
Many of us have a renewed respect for our front-line heroes: police, nurses, paramedics, mail and parcel carriers, garbage removal, and other essential services. In my opinion our Canadian Federal and Provincial Government have also done a good job in helping mitigate the economic effects of this Pandemic. Again, it is these silent everyday heroes for whom I have the utmost respect.
It is no surprise to me, from my personal experience with long term care, that we need to do better for our seniors. Seniors have created a lot of the opportunity we now enjoy. Our seniors carry with them the wisdom of life that can only be heard if we listen. Many of our seniors have seen very tough times in the past like wars and natural disasters. Hurricane Hazel was something my parents talked a lot about. The Depression was what my grandparents spoke of. All were considered once in a lifetime events.
Friends and neighbours are out walking and talking. I have been living in this home since 1991, and I now know all my neighbours on this 10-house street. It reminds me of the neighbourhoods when I was a child. A time when kids played on the street until the streetlights came on, knowing the community had a watchful eye over everyone.
My Dog Thor has been a big beneficiary of us staying at home. All the playing and walks several times a day have been exhausting (for me not the dog).
We are so truly fortunate to have each other, to live in these times where science gives us hope and technology keeps us in contact with our love ones. I wonder sometimes what other generations did to deal with these large life events in a world with no technology. Well the good part about the past is that we did not have to listen the news 24/7.
I also feel very inspired by our children and grandchildren. My grandson has been helpful around the house and has stayed to a daily schedule of school, physical activity, fun and playing online with his friends. I really enjoy the sidewalk comments, window rainbows, the painted rocks, and the continuous notes of encouragement. Kids are a great example of being change adaptive.
At RetireRite we have created systems to allow us to do digital transactions, video and audio calls, and we have been using both private couriers and Canada Post to get paperwork and information to our clients. We will continue to do our best to stay in touch with our clients and to provide them excellent service, and to find innovative and creative ways to do so. I do enjoy collaborating with people to provide better solutions. Please feel free to call us for any need.
Please stay well and safe.
Sincerely,
Tony