Winter 2020 | 5
From the President As we approach the holidays, the traditional gatherings may look different than in years past, but one tradition can remain the same: taking the time to be grateful for what we have. My gratitude list includes being thankful for the community of legal professionals continuing to work together to adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19. We have grown more confident with technologies we might have rejected in the past as we continue the work of the justice system. We have gathered electronically for continuing legal education and conducting the business of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association. We may be experiencing a tidal wave of change as a result of COVID-19, but we have stayed afloat as a community of lawyers. by Heather Lindsay
With great change, even we lawyers, characteristically confident we can analyze our way through a challenge, are confronted with uncertainty that is not manageable. We have no date calendared for the restoration of what we considered normal as this year began. Being frustrated and sad because of the limitations imposed by the circumstances of 2020 seems to be the “new normal,� but we can resist the isolation by remaining in contact with each other. We can maintain a positive mindset through connections with one another, which become more useful as we navigate change. The year 2020, more than other years I can remember, has demanded patience as we adapt to what we cannot change and analyze how to overcome new obstacles. I have always been grateful to work in a profession in which I can learn something new every day, but this year I have been grateful for the issues that are easy, the comfort of the familiar problem I already know how to solve. Mustering the patience and creativity required in these times is more manageable, I find, when I take the time to reflect on even the smallest reasons for gratitude. I hope everyone finds joy in the here and now as we enter the holiday season, and that creative ways of adapting to these times are inspired by these moments of reflection. Ultimately, I am confident that so long as we are mindful of the importance of our relationships with one another, we can find ways to thrive even in times of uncertainty.
