Adjusting to Life in the Coronavirus World

Jordan Alborn, CFP®

One month ago, my wife and I stood atop Camelback Mountain in Phoenix after a rigorous, but enjoyable climb to the summit. The temperature was around 60 degrees, but the bright Arizona sun made it feel much warmer. We were not alone at the peak that day. Hundreds of other people, all complete strangers to us, were on their own journeys to experience the breathtaking, 360-degree views of the city below. I don’t remember seeing anyone wearing masks, let alone practicing social distancing.

After taking some photos and a getting a drink of water, we descended the mountain to our rental car. The morning hike had made us hungry so we decided to pay a visit to Loco Patron in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale for their Taco Tuesday deals. It was the middle of the day and the restaurant was abuzz with business people and tourists alike. At that time, the Coronavirus and COVID-19 had been rapidly spreading in Asia and we were starting to learn more about it showing up in Europe. There were still relatively few cases in US. I remember talking with Sarah as we enjoyed our tacos and margaritas, wondering if it would eventually become widespread in the United States and how that may impact our lives. Neither of us could have imagined what the coming days would bring.

Fast-forward just 30 days, and life as we know it has completely changed. I am writing this blog post from my home office while Sarah is conducting “Mommy School” with August and Margaret upstairs. We sometimes lose track of which day it is and rarely leave the house, except to get groceries. On March 17, we were forced to close our group fitness gym in Waverly and it doesn’t look like we will reopen until mid-May, at the earliest. Sarah has gone to recording some fitness classes and posting them to a group on Facebook for people to do at home. She even live-streamed one class earlier this week! I am so proud of her and the way she has adapted our business in these uncertain times. On Sundays and Wednesdays, we have extended family Zoom video-conferencing calls to check in with everybody. We are also practicing “couch church” on Sunday mornings, tuning into a live broadcast of services at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls. 

The ability of technology to keep us connected in times like this is truly amazing! Self-quarantine has also provided opportunities for us to tackle projects we have long put off like organizing our garage and storage rooms. We are doing all of these things to do our part to help “flatten the curve.” From talking with many of you over the last few weeks, I have heard that you are practicing many of these same behaviors as well. This is life in the Coronavirus World.

For the time being, all of us here at Premier would like to encourage you to find a way to enjoy this “season” of life and the opportunities it is providing us. We will eventually emerge from it and we look forward to enjoying a taco, margarita, or both, with each of you then.

Adiós and stay safe!

Jordan Alborn