Just of a bunch guys gettin’ in the car, doesn’t matter who’s drivin’ or for how far. –NRBQ

Is there anything more exhilarating than driving with your friends for the first time?  Those early days of riding with our peers is a scary time for parents.  But a glorious time for the newly minted motorists who soak in the freedom and relish the good times.  Who needs a destination when you are going mobile with your peeps?

I vividly remember those high school years, wandering from place-to-place without a care in the world.  On one such summer night, our good friend and designated driver, christened at the MVA just three days earlier, had to execute a tricky merge on to Chevy Chase Circle (a busy roundabout, for our international readers!).  It can be a harrowing experience for even the most seasoned professional.  And sure enough, as soon as he merged, another car exited and gently brushed his back bumper.  Rut Roh!

It was, frankly, unclear who was at fault.  The merge area was murky and it was a bang-bang moment.  There was no damage to our car and a decent scratch on the other car.  But when both of us pulled out of the way and onto a side street, the driver of the other car went ballistic.  He was an older guy (although likely younger than I am now) and he let us have it.  You stupid kids.  How could you do this to my car?  Show me your insurance.  Daddy’s gonna have to pay for this.  Blah, blah.

We sensed where this was going.  Although a blowhard with a nasty temper, he was an experienced, respected, older driver.  We were just kids, many of us fifteen, and relatively clueless.  The police were going to side with him.  We were all going to have to chip in to pay for his car.  The inevitably and gravity of the situation washed over all of us as we saw the cards playing out in front of us.  We were all frozen.  Except for our friend in the backseat.

He wasn’t going to just sit back and put our fate in the hands of someone else. He searched around the other car, and, spotting a beer can in the backseat, walked up to the “old” guy and looked him right in the eye.

“Have you been drinking?” he wondered out loud.

“You must be joking”, the man hissed.

“I’m perfectly serious.  And I can distinctly smell alcohol on your breath!  Perhaps we should let the police decide?”

A beat.  Then another beat.  Then the man blinked.

“Stupid kids”, he muttered.  And with that, the old man slinked into his car and screeched away.  An amazing turn of events!

And while it made for a great story the next Monday morning in the locker room, it also underscored an even more important point as we continue to slog through this pandemic.  We can’t just let the cards play out.  We can’t passively sit back and accept our fate.  If we want to stay resilient, we have to go on the offensive!

We Need to Create a New Reality

There has been legitimate suffering beyond the loss of life during this dark period.  No need to sugarcoat it.  Businesses have been ruined.  Sales have plummeted.  Sports seasons have been canceled.  Loneliness and isolation have set in for both the old and the young.  There is a general loss of control as swirling negative news washes over us like a rogue wave.

In the beginning of the pandemic, we took solace in spending time with our family, joining Zoom calls, and taking advantage of increasingly earlier Happy Hours.  But what now?  While it may feel as though the cards are perpetually stacked against us, we have to actively take back our mojo!  

Are there new business opportunities in the chaos?  Can the loss of normalcy increase our appreciation of the “semi-normal” moments?  Is there a chance to pivot?  If everything has been stripped away, perhaps there is an opportunity to finally pursue a dream?  Sometimes a loss can be cathartic.  And a great motivator for success!  But it won’t come by passively sitting back and mourning what “once was”.  It’s time to take advantage of what “now is”.

We Control Our Fate

This whole pandemic is like a game of Chutes and Ladders.  We will have difficult moments that send us cascading down a huge slide.  We will feel hopelessly behind.  But, if we actively look for them, there will be little ladders that will gradually take us back to the top.  We can’t just sit at the bottom and watch everything pass us by.  The only way we lose is if we stop rolling the dice!

There is hope on the horizon.  But we need to play a part in pulling that hope forward.  We need to look for opportunities to take control of our fate!  We can’t freeze in fear.  We need to stay active.  We need to investigate.  We need to confidently stare down the fatigue and malaise.  And we have to stay on the offensive and ask questions that turn the tables back in our favor.

And when in doubt, we can always jump in the car, roll down the windows, and let the wind blow back our hair.   Life is good.