A Much Needed Reprieve

By Paul Morrone, CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

While the calendar may say that spring has officially sprung, over three decades of experience living in New England has made me wise enough to know we can’t quite assume we are out of the woods yet. But this past weekend sure made many of us forget about the dark, cold and lonely winter that is nearly in the rear-view mirror. After what was nothing short of a hibernation, people came out in troves here in Branford – and the energy was palpable. From the town green to Stony Creek, I saw more people, children and pets in one day than I saw in all of 2020. If it wasn’t for the masks (yes, those are still a thing here in CT), you would have never known that COVID existed. It was refreshing and felt, dare I say, normal? 

We took the boys down to Stony Creek Market for breakfast with my parents and then to the playground where Kyle was able to get out some energy and Ryan enjoyed his first experience in a swing. We were definitely not the only ones looking for an excuse to get out of the house as there were kids everywhere. We walked down to the beach, and Kyle even was able to get his feet wet in the ocean for the first time this year. Seeing so many people out in public gave me hope and for the first time in a while I genuinely believed that this too, shall pass. 

Our neighborhood was no exception, it was like a beehive. Children running through the yards, pets off the leash and parents casually walking around with a mid-afternoon drink in hand. As I went through the spring cleaning ritual of sweeping out the garage and washing the cars for the first time of the year, it was nearly impossible to get anything done as everyone walking by was eager to hang around and chat. No complaints on my end. That’s how life should be. I’m glad I had extra beer in the fridge!

It was a blur, and I’d guess that I saw no less than 30 people walk up our driveway that day – more than I usually see in a month. The kids played, as kids are supposed to. The parents drank, as parents are supposed to. Most importantly, everyone was in good spirits. It felt right. Having only lived in our neighborhood during the COVID era, it was encouraging to see the potential for what I’m confident will be in our future once we are on the other side of this.

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