Thanksgiving. It’s the kick-off to our holiday season. A time for us to begin reflecting on the year we’ve had and all we are thankful for.
This year, like so many other things, Thanksgiving is going to look and feel different than it has before. Most of us won’t be gathering with our extended families. I live in a small town. My parents, grandparents, sister and brother all live less just a few miles from me. So to wrap my head around not seeing them… it’s just hard.
I have similar feelings about our AICP annual conference this year. Gone, at least for now, is our opportunity to gather together. We are finding our way through how to learn and grow our insurance compliance community in an entirely virtual setup. It’s hard and it’s different. But, it’s what has to be done. I am proud to say that we are doing it well!
The way in which we connect with each other is different this year. Whether we are talking about our friends and families, or our AICP community, our connection has changed. And, while it may be different, I’m continually impressed with its strength.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the strength of our connections. We are fortunate to live during a time in our society when we have so many options for how we communicate. Just imagine a pandemic like this 100 years ago. When all we had were corded telephones going through a switchboard, hand-written letters and the local daily newspapers to keep us informed and connected. (Wait… didn’t that happen?)
No matter the vehicle you use (Facebook, Twitter, Zoom, email, text, telephone, etc), reach out to the ones that are important in your life and make sure they know you are thankful for them. We are all interconnected, and we are all special to someone. Take a little bit of time to connect. It won’t be too long before we’ll be gathered again. I’m hopeful we can look back on these times and be thankful for the tools we had to help get us through, and all the people that helped us feel a little less alone.
With love, hope and gratitude in my heart,
Bri Dahl
