Week 2 of Our New Normal

Hello Friends,

As the second week of our new normal passes, we're moving into a new phase. We've moved from "adjusting" to finding our groove. The first week is like the first pancake, you have to throw it away from a productivity perspective. It's about figuring out what tools work, how the home internet will handle all the new video streaming you're doing and how you're going to keep eating mid-lockdown. For me it was about doing as much as I could to maintain a sense of normalcy, racing out to the shed to create product demos was as much for me as it was for you, I'm not ashamed to admit.

There's no use avoiding the elephant in the room. The news has been grim, both on an economic front and of course for our NY City community struggling to get a grip on COVID-19. My mom doesn't work at Elmhurst hospital, but the story shared by The NY Times this week is a window into what hospitals across the city are dealing with...when I worry about this virus, my worry consolidates on her. But of course the worries we all have stretch beyond the illness itself. With the economy reeling, we're all worried about how our businesses will survive coming out of this crisis. Given all that, I understand that new lighting products and features might be the 7000th thing on your mind right now.

So we carry on, I'm trying to use this time to improve myself in whatever ways I can. I'm running, I'm reading more and I'm experimenting. Speaking of reading, I'm going to recommend The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer. It's a quick read. (And here I have to drop a thank-you to Leela, for letting me borrow it, who knew it would come in so handy) It's all about what happens when you go nowhere, literally. How the journey into yourself can be the most fulfilling. With all the anxiety of these times, there might never be a better time to journey inside.

Never the less, I'm continuing to experiment with different types of content and media. This week I hosted two product webinars, one with USAI and another with JLC-Tech. For me, work is a both a distraction and a veil of normalcy in a uncertain time. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't talking and thinking about lighting everyday.

I'll finish asking for a favor. I wrote a 2 minute survey asking "How do you want to learn about lighting, right now?" It's 5 questions. Just trying to get a gauge on how best to help. If you could click through it, I'd really appreciate it.

I miss you all.