QUESTIONS

“Q” is for QUESTIONS

 These days, while “quarantine” is the most common “Q” word to come to mind, we all have so many questions. Many will go unanswered for weeks, months, and perhaps even years. Do you find yourself alternating between devouring all the information you can get your hands on and then having to go cold turkey to get away from it all? I sure do! I found a TV station or two with reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. No wonder it’s so popular! Even Friends and Seinfeld seem quaint these days!

However, there are questions that need to be asked and answered for yourself, your family, your job and your business or organization as a whole. What I have found over the past few months is that there are many resources (i.e. organizations and the people that comprise those organizations) working very hard to put together information to answer not only the questions you are asking, but perhaps the questions you don’t even know you should be asking.

I read an enewsletter a couple of weeks ago—from a source I trust (more on that in a bit) and there was a thought that went something like this. There’s what you know, what you know you don’t know, and what you don’t know that you don’t know. Take some time to think about that series of thoughts, applying it to our current situation. Even this many months into the pandemic and forced shutdown, there seems to be a lot falling into that middle category. I don’t know about you, but it sure makes me wonder what sits in that third category—even for the so-called experts. Almost every day I hear contradictory health or economic guidance and predictions. It makes it very difficult to know how to make decisions for my personal health, finances and well-being.

So who do I listen to? Much like last year when I was dealing with health matters, I needed to cut through the scary, not-so-helpful info and focus on the sources that I knew to be reliable. A friend and my surgeon both told me to stay away from patient blogs, based on the notion that everyone has a different experience and there’s no point in listening to everyone’s scary stories. I took that advice and offer it here as food for thought. One other bit of advice I got during that health crisis (that I didn’t heed, but in a thoughtful and judicious way) was to stay off the internet and don’t research my condition. I chose instead to pick three sites that I knew presented valid info and then was better prepared for follow-up visits with my medical team.

For today’s situation, there are blogs and webinars available to walk you through both the medical and financial aspects of our current situation, personal and professional. Where to begin for referrals to valid info are your local hospitals’ or county health departments’ web sites on the health side and your local chambers of commerce for financial assistance. Many chambers of commerce offer links to local, state and federal assistance and are offering virtual programming, in many cases free of charge.

Please reach out if I can be of assistance to you in any way. Colleges and Universities are gearing up for fall return, but many (those of us who are research universities, in particular) have many resources available now to help in myriad ways. Let me know, as my job is to help you make connections.

IN CLOSING

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments and connections, both virtual and in person in the not too distant future.  Until next time . . . . stay safe and healthy and remember, this too shall pass.