We, as a family, have no use for conspiracy theories, as they waste time and energy. We employ a critical approach to any situation, and never base all our decisions on one opinion or as few as two. Our approach is business like even if we are dealing with a personal, intimate situation. It's just our thing, you see, because we have a keen interest in organization and efficiencies, and we never squander precious time, by getting side tracked by sideshows and barkers who have a vested interested in getting you to follow them. We follow the protocols that are sensible, proportional to the problem, and protective of our good health. We are well aware of those who have been fighting lockdown orders, and those of course who refuse to wear masks for everyone's safety, and who will not under any circumstance agree to get vaccinated. Like I noted earlier. We judge all sides of the issue before we make our decisions, and in the case of Covid, we trusted science and the medical community, who have healed us when we have been ill, and advised us competently when we have desired to make improvements in our lives to stay well. One doctor I admire told me after my own blood pressure scare, a few years ago, that "it is much easier to keep you well than to make you well." Call us heretics and the "easily manipulated", but we will never be consumed or even modestly swayed by conspiracy theories that like smoke in the wind, dissipate quietly and quickly into the void of irrelevance where they belong. Truth is a precious commodity these days, and like the clear, resounding, beautiful ring of a perfect bell, it cheerfully over-rides the "noise" of confusion and dissension. Ah, the clear resolve of reality to set the record straight.
It is exciting for all us Curries to think about the eventual re-opening of our vintage music and antique shop here on the main street of our hometown Gravenhurst. We have gone through, like most business owners in this region, province and country, a half renaissance, where every aspect of our respective enterprises has been examined, dissected, inspected, and updated to suit the new realities coming down the pike as far as market place adaptations. To think we can re-open as we once existed, is a little bit narrow focused, because most of us have little concept if there will be a boom market or a doomed market when we can finally open to allow fifteen percent capacity in our retail shops. We have to prepare for the boom scenario, because it is to be expected that consumer impatience and frustration after the shut-down will brush with some extravagance, which would be nice if not for the potential it might compromise our old way of doing things day to day. When we were closed in the spring of 2020 for the first lockdown period imposed by the province, we had been registering one of the best start-ups to any year in our then fourteen year company history. The we were forced into the seclusion of forced lockdown that immediately forced us to find other sources of income, and other makeshift strategies to work a curb-side protocol. It started slow but between online sales, including regular work we do on eBay and Etsy, as well as Facebook, curbside pick-up options gave us enough income to cover the months closed. The closure again from Boxing Day to the present, (we did not open in the color red period) was a huge challenge and once again, we relied on an unflinching patience to work slowly and sensibly with the resources we had, and to stop bitching about things we couldn't control. I read thirty five books since last March, Suzanne has made a large number of attractive kitchen aprons out of old fabric remnants, as well as knitting her socks and mitts throughout the period to stock the shelves; Andrew has been building guitars, and upgrading dozens of instruments, including drums, that have been in storage at the shop for years; Robert has been working diligently building his vintage record inventory, acquiring many from community sources and online sellers as far away as Germany. We have been acquiring and upgrading our inventories respectively through what has been imposed upon us these many months; without much more than a few daily grumbles, about our lot in life, which by the way, for the record, has been far more rewarding than in any way punitive. We get on each other's nerves but then that's family life on the business level.
I do very much believe we all have a great opportunity here, as vaccinations continue to cover those who wish the protection against Covid, to approach this rediscovered freedom with a more aggressive joyfulness that we survived a terribly difficult time. There were many casualties and we must truly appreciate how much carnage has occurred in our world or we shall not learn from the experience of a pandemic. As keen historians, Suzanne and I linger often on parallels we find in the past, paying special regard to how citizens in these similarly dreadful times, managed to survive and carry-on with their lives and enterprises. We are never so casual as to ignore the precedents established in this wide world, as caused by war and famine, natural disasters, the pandemics, such as in 1919 that claimed millions of lives, and economic calamities that so severely injured our ancestors. How else do we learn how to deal with the future, if we dismiss the chaos of historical events; or for that matter, the incredible credits earned by the science and medical communities that have given rise to so many cures for what afflictions were shortening our lives, and adding so much misery to existence for so many citizens of the world. It is impossible to live life insightfully, without attaching this responsibility of learning from history, and in context of continuous learning, appreciating that no one is immune from the influences of the past, good or bad, and it is how we will emerge from this grip of Covid, to appreciate how close we came to an untimely, tragic and brutally painful end. Now, with this new round of community progress at lowering the third wave of infections, it should of course, be a wonderful, shared feeling of success as it is liberation after a long and dangerous ordeal; and despite the myriad problems associated with trying to keep us safe, and our hospitals from being overwhelmed, vaccines being successful achieved and administered, it seems okay to yell out loud, "thank you, thank you so much, for saving our lives!"
There were days we were admittedly angry about our circumstance. Internally we blamed a lot of circumstances beyond anyone's control, and we lambasted every politician and provincial authority we could, to lessen the cumbersome toll of our stifled liberties. We felt cheated from recording what would have been a record year for all our four family businesses, and we took no prisoners when it came to laying blame where we felt it was most deserved. But that was all the knee-jerk stuff you kind of expect when there are such situations arising that seem unnecessarily punitive. Of course it gives rise to the kind of anger that inspires thoughts of conspiracy and purposeful disadvantage, imposed by those of dastardly intent. Well, we got out of that funk pretty fast, when we saw the live coverage of the January 6th Insurrection at the Capital Building in Washington, led by conspiracy theorists who believed the United States Election in November had been stolen from the Republicans by Democrat fraud. Gosh, what a hell of a big rabbit hole to fall into. No thank you. We washed in shock and resolved in our collective opinions, that life here in Canada is pretty sweet, and all conspiracy crap aside, we had a lot more to be thankful about than we were giving credit in. our frequent self absorption about our present disadvantages. When you watched an attempt at overthrowing a neighbor country's government, wow, what a leveling influence when self examining the basic truths of what we had thought was a dire personal circumstance. What if we had to close our business because of the lockdown situation? Was it as bad as it was being portrayed by others, or were we just following along with other haters, when in reality, we were actually in the hands of administrators who were looking after us rather well, despite initial suspicions to the contrary. I won't ever discourage the right to protest, or to practice civil disobedience when warranted. I've participated in these civil liberties of this democracy frequently in my life, and I won't dismiss its effectiveness when done effectively. But our protest internalized and we felt that as a business family, we had been a tad unfair to those charged with looking after our welfare, and the well being of the citizenry of this province and country.
We are now adding the finishing touches to our hopefully new and improved Gravenhurst antique and vintage music enterprise, located in the former Muskoka Theatre Building on Muskoka Road, opposite the Gravenhurst Opera House. We are excited to welcome back our many friends and out of region customers, when appropriate, and we hope the "open" status remains in place forever if that's possible. We owe our survival to many folks who continued to support us financially with curbside pickups, and online buying, and special thanks must be given to those friends of our business who slipped donations under the front door, to help us keep our business alive. What dear friends we have in this town and region of Muskoka. Thanks so much and we look forward to meeting you all once again.
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