It's always really tempting to write about the weather in these newsletters, because, to be honest, it can have a significant bearing on the operation of any lawn and landscape company. Maybe at heart I'm an old man who likes to talk about the weather...

However, I always try to avoid the temptation to discuss the weather here, because I have clients all over the country, and the weather here in Ohio has no bearing on the weather in Boston or Atlanta. Even more to the point, good weather for a design/build company in one city might be completely different than good weather for a chemical lawn care company. It's not something I can really discuss in a useful way because it's completely different from one of you folks to another.

I think the same thing holds true for this current pandemic we have on our hands. I can talk to a client in rural Iowa who might feel completely untouched by this virus, and then later in the day talk to a client in New York/New Jersey, where everyone knows someone who has been sick, and no one is that many steps removed from a COVID fatality. Both of these situations are completely valid, and our collective experience of this virus is shaped by our locations, just like our weather. 

I think it's important to remain empathetic in these times. I don't know what everyone is going through; your area may be loaded with sick people. Maybe you have a high risk family member, maybe that person in the store wearing a ton of protective gear has a kid with cancer and they are just trying to get through the store and get home. It's good to remember that none of us really know what challenges anyone else is facing, and it's my belief that everyone is just trying to get through these uncharted waters, and we are all making it up as we go.

My dad always used to say "this too shall pass," and hopefully this passes sooner rather than later. Until then, let's all try to be a little more patient and a little more empathetic.