“You love her
But she loves him
And he loves somebody else
You just can’t win”
Has anyone other than me noticed that the economic consequences of the COVID pandemic are just like J. Geils puts it in his iconic song, Love Stinks?
As a small business owner who deals almost exclusively with other businesses, I’ve made an interesting observation… this COVID economic situation is full of disjointed extremes. On one hand, unemployment has skyrocketed to levels not previously seen in decades or longer. On the other hand, in speaking with people in various industries and reading the newspapers, there is a labor shortage in certain areas, and no one can find help!
There are so many companies struggling with sustained sales decreases of 50% or more, and then there are some firms that are busy beyond belief with a surfeit of business from unexpected and unanticipated sources.
There are tons of people working remotely and at the same time a shortage of day care spots for children.
This COVID-effect on the economy has displaced millions of people in the US, almost like lifting a mat off a dirty and dust-covered floor…the air is full of unsettled dust, just floating through the air and looking for a new place to settle.
Trying to look on the bright side, perhaps people will find new positions and new careers previously unthought of and consequently might be happier? Maybe these busier businesses will hire some currently unemployed people? Will those who have been stuck working from home enjoy their time at the office more once they return now that they’ve seen how the other half live?
It’s hard to know what will end up happening while we are still in the thick of things, and perhaps we will look back on this pandemic time in the distant future and it will only seem like a blip. I would love to say next year, while in the middle of a 15,000-person crowd at a Dave Matthews Band concert, “Wow, remember that summer when there were NO concerts at all?” If nothing else, we may realize by now how good things actually were, and what things we should never take for granted.
Until then, we can just commiserate about how much this all stinks.
