By Over the last few weeks, I had the joy of taking my family on a trip (not to be confused with a vacation!) to Disney, where we rode every ride we could and were surrounded by more people than we’ve seen over the last year collectively. I actually felt some anxiety, as I was reminded of a Seattle Mariners game when I was a kid, where there were seas of people who never parted, except to reveal another throng of people. But, everyone had a good time and made good memories – just not all at the same time!
After surviving spring break, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several days of races at Keeneland, and I’ve noticed that unlike Disney, which is governed by Florida, Keeneland is trying to play under the Kentucky governor’s rules by keeping things at 25 percent capacity. Even at 7500- 8000 people per day, it still feels like a major people event because we just haven’t done anything like this in so long. Some of that Disney anxiety isn’t as high at Keeneland, but there’s still that sense of stranger danger that’s been instilled in us over the last 14 months.
We also enjoyed watching The Masters this past weekend, and Hideki Matsuyama’s historic win. Fans were back, but in golf, did anyone really notice they weren’t there? Seriously though, it’s just great to hear the roar of the crowd again. And speaking of the roar of the crowd, it’s been nice to start seeing that camaraderie reemerge that you just can’t recreate digitally.
However, I’m now fully vaccinated, and I’m determined that my wife and I are going to make up for a cancelled trip to Las Vegas (where we won’t be getting married because we already are!), but we will renew our vows, and enjoy some nice dinners and Broadway-caliber shows. I’ve noticed that, 55 weeks from when this all started, everything feels a little more special given that two weeks to flatten the curve turned into over a year.
I’m not sure when we’ll be told we can now meet freely in person, but now that I’m vaccinated, I’m totally fine with whatever is comfortable for you. I can’t tell you how big my smile is having seen some of you in person, in or out of the office.
As always, if you know anyone who could use some guidance organizing their financial life for the rest of 2021 and beyond, please, introduce us, virtually or otherwise. We’re happy to help.