MEMBERSHIP
From Social Distancing to Social
Doing
From the Atlanta Bar Members of the Wellness Committee
As COVID-19 continues to impact our communities , we reached out to Atlanta Bar members and asked – what went right ? With so many things going wrong , the tendency to focus on the negative is strong . So , we wanted to hear some good - the success stories . Here are some stories from fellow Atlanta Bar members about things that went right for them during this madness . We hope these bring a smile to your face and remind you that it is not all bad .
1 . Mark Brandenburg – Finding Time for Family " The quarantine has had a profound impact on me both professionally and personally . My business experienced a surge in clients eager to review their estate plans and discuss the effects of their wills and healthcare directives . Even with the additional work , I found more time to connect with my family , my home , and my community .
On that note , the City of Atlanta gave joy to many by temporarily prohibiting golfers at the Chastain Park golf course , near where I live and work , and opened the course ' s beautiful terrain to walkers and joggers . I do not know what is coming next , but I like to believe that good things will come out this crisis ."
2 . Steve Kirson - The Opposite of Déjà vu Déjà vu – French for “ already seen .” Or so I ’ m told . I didn ’ t take French in school . That makes this quarantine period the opposite of “ already seen ” because these circumstances are unlike anything I ’ ve experienced before . Permit me to share , in no particular order , my impressions of a time in our lives that still seems surreal .
Back in the USSR ?— I keep flashing back to a scene in “ Moscow on the Hudson ”, a film starring the late great Robin Williams as a defector from the Soviet Union . He goes to a well-stocked American grocery store and asks , “ where is line for coffee ?” His life experience is that basics are obtained , if at all , only after standing in a line for hours . The manager assures him no line is needed and brings him to the coffee aisle . Seeing all the coffee , so many brands , all available for the taking , it was all too much and Mr . Williams ’ character collapses , gasping , “ coffee , coffee , coffee !” And now I ’ ve experienced triumph from finding what was formerly just a basic item , now treasured , at Walmart or Publix -- Euphoria , not just toilet paper , but my household ’ s preferred brand name toilet paper , and in a big multi-roll pack . No , I ’ m not telling where that store was located . Though that was back in late March , and things are better now . Or randomly being in the store when the meat manager brought out fresh chicken to place in the previously empty poultry section at the back of the store . And the time that there were eggs — fresh eggs ! The highly priced , organic kind
28 August / September 2020