I now equal six.

A month or so ago it was five. I’m adding one to make six.

This is the number of events that have affected me deeply over my lifetime. Like me, you have a number.

For me, three of them are personal and individual. A tornado in the mid-1970s, a baptism in the mid-1990s, and a set of moments made by my wife and two daughters over the past couple of decades.

Then there are the national events. I’ll wager you and I share two of them—9/11 in 2001 and the Meltdown in 2008. The Islamic terrorist attacks destroyed my complacency and began what would ultimately become my own business, Historical Solutions LLC. The financial crash tested if Historical Solutions could survive harsh economic conditions and what form survival might take.

3+2. Now I add one to make six—the Covid 19 pandemic of 2020.

I firmly believe that 9/11, the Meltdown, and Covid 19 share quite a few things in my number of six defining events.

>They force an examination of purpose

>They strip away things that had acquired a veneer of importance

>They demand a set of actions and decisions

>They inject urgency and seriousness at the expense of slowness and frivolity

>They reveal in their sudden shock

Beyond arriving at my new total of six, I can find confidence in my recollections of each of the five points as 9/11 and the Meltdown unfolded. I can apply those recollections to today with #6.

You can do the same. If you’re of a particular age then 2001 and 2008 are part of your River. You know those waters—fast, rough, churning, treacherous. You know they’re not exactly alike, that 2020 has unique features. But don’t let the pounding roar of the rapids right now obliterate your recollections of your capabilities and potential shown then. There is value in your past. Draw from it.

Thanks for reading. All the best, Dan