Remember This Moment in Time

Dallas is thoughtfully and courageously opening back up after having her businesses shuttered for nearly eight weeks. Having owned my own business for 25 years and knowing the sacrifices it takes to build and maintain a company, I’m particularly sensitive to the plight of our independent shop owners and restaurateurs.

This week as Steve and I made our rounds to our favorite restaurants—those I refer to as our neighborhood gems—we were greeted by smiling faces, albeit hidden by facemasks. Squinty eyes sparkled out at us like twinkle lights on a Christmas tree. It was pure magic to look into those welcoming eyes.

Our fondness for these chefs, managers and servers is nothing new. We have come to learn much about them over the years and they’ve come to learn a lot about us. A relationship I thought was built on a foundation of mutual respect and appreciation, I realize today is built on something much deeper.

Our shared humanity and vulnerability—from the threat of the virus to the looming economic disaster we might still face—have been laid bare. Prior to this crisis, the restaurant owners might have thought of us as loyal customers and as a patron I simply hoped for a great meal and nice service. What an epiphany to learn that our relationships are not merely transactional. They’re truly relational and people need and depend on each other now more than ever before.

When your community is ready to reopen and you feel safe to shop or dine out, look into the eyes of those around you and remember this moment in time. It might be the moment you realize we’re all more alike than we are different.

And, that you are someone else’s gem, too.