Unprecedented!
Remember early 2020, say January and February? You remember 2019? Yup, those were the good old days……BC. Before Covid!
Fast forward to 2020 past and 2021 present and everything is upside down. The struggles are real people. It’s crazy the amount of stress we all have to endure.
For me, I can’t begin to tell you what gets thrown in my face every day. Lately, in particular, my phone has been ringing pre 8 a.m. more than it ever has while working at Jaftex. Unfortunately, only 1 in 10 of those calls is a good one. Some days, I get 3 or 4 of these calls before I even get out of bed. Can’t say that it’s a great way to wake up.
The calls run the gamut. The obvious one, someone I know, an employee, an employee’s family member, one of our suppliers, etc. got covid. People are dying and others are getting really sick and afraid of dying. Recently, one of our esteemed warehouse employees was found dead.
The other day I got a call about someone copying our designs. This results in a big waste of time having to deal with this and the lawyers. Not my favorite thing to be doing as there are more productive things on my list and this is just a negative suck of my time and energy.
Employees are retiring. Some are quitting. Sales reps are quitting. Sales reps are picking up and moving somewhere else. Customers are closing their doors. Suppliers are closing their doors. And the list goes on and on and on. You can’t make it up and after all the calls I think to myself, “I didn’t see that coming.”
It’s a sad state of affairs for all of us. It’s almost as if we are at war against the forces while also trying to avoid getting Covid.
Long story short, we are going through a transformational and transitional period in our lives and the world as we know it. I guess this is the new new until it isn’t.
So my suggestion to myself and you is, take everything with a grain of salt. Remember what is important in life. Do everything to decompress and destress like getting outside, doing exercise, quilting and getting sleep to name a few. Other than that, we all need to be really safe and cautious to avoid getting Covid. We are in unprecedented times and that calls for unprecedented measures.
Be safe my friends…..always. Oh yeah, and please don’t call me before 9!
Have a great week and be careful out there.
5 Comments
Denise Munger
I am so very sorry that you are going through all this mess. It seems to hit when you least expect it.
The last year has been crazy and crappy. Life has always been Live and Learn, I’ve been told that God test us everyday. We are all tired of being tested, some more than others. We did ask or need Covid-19 in our lives, not at all. I feel badly for all the lives that were lost to Covid-19, for everyone.
I lost 2 friends to Covid-19. Sad so very sad. The world is one big ball of stress. We will never go back to what was supposedly normal. Really, what is normal. Life is definitely a journey !!!!! But this is a journey that nobody wants.
You are a very strong person Scott. You will do what you have to do to keep Jaftex solid and working. It won’t be an easy task but you will do it. You have so much support from people and quilters from around the world.
Take deep breaths and when you are stressed look at the gorgeous quilt with your family sewn into it and remember:
FABRIC IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL !!!
Wishing you, your family, Jaftex and employees the Best Always !!!!
Karen Galib
OMG this is so my days! suppliers I have had for years are suddenly gone and I have research and rediscover suppliers…….this is not easy but we will get through this! yes we will! and Thank you Scott and Family for being here for us! we appreciate you! and as for someone coping your designs………go get em! I won’t buy from anyone else.!
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Karen,
Oh, I know I am not alone with this feeling. It’s just a little different for each of us. And yes, we will get through this.
Thanks for your kind words Karen.
Scott
ELLEN DREWS
Huh. Shouldn’t you have people for that? A right hand woman perhaps, to sort through and troubleshoot the easier problems and then bring you the real problems along with possible solutions? I was sitting here, grumpy, because I use a wheelchair, can’t go out on the ice, etc, (just a general pity party), and I thought even I can answer a telephone. Delegate that responsibility! Turn off that phone from 9pm to 9am. Have a service pick up, and if it’s a true emergency, contact you on a private number. A certain flowering spoon seems to have everyone’s designs available at triple the price (they have to pay their lawyers somehow). It certainly is a pain in the behind, but then, imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery, isn’t it?
New employees bring with them a fresh perspective, new ideas and new beginnings. With so many people out of work, it shouldn’t be too hard to get the staff you need! When one door closes, another opens. The shops that survive are the ones who adapt; online orders with curbside pickup, contactless transactions.
The IT guys are the ones who have it made, work from home, and never get out of your pajamas! This I know, because my hubby does. Except for the calls of “more coffee, please”, and “when’s dinner?”, he’s a peach.
I was intrigued when I heard you on Facebook the other day, and had to stay and listen. Now I’m following you (figuratively, that is).
Pretty sure you didn’t mean for us to take this so literally, but that’s my cross to bear, solving the world’s problems one at a time. (big sigh). Consider me your grain of salt ; )
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Ellen,
Not sure even where to begin with a reply….thanks! We are a small family business and we run a tight ship. I answer my own calls. That’s how we roll.
And it wasn’t someone from the flowering spook that copied the design.
Glad you found me and are following….figuratively lol. Thanks for being my grain of salt.
xoxo
Scott