I remember my first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday. My mother walked me into the huge hall, and then I was left alone like a deer in the headlights. I was terrified and excited. This is the first memory I have in my life where I had to adapt to a sudden change that took me out of my comfort zone. By lunchtime that day I had met my new best friend and organized my desk. I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could tell my mother how much I loved school. Some of us adapted quicker than others, but eventually, all the kids in my class embraced this as their new normal.
I lived in 11 different homes growing up in Johannesburg. Moving was always scary and exciting, but inevitably within weeks, my new bedroom became my haven and my new neighborhood became my playground. Life in a new place became my new normal.
I remember getting on the train that shipped me off to military service. I had no idea what lay in front of me and I was terrified. Two weeks later, waking up at 4 AM for inspection, eating breakfast at 5, and running drills at 6 became my daily routine. Some of my platoon suffered more than others, but eventually this became our new normal.
I remember stepping off the plane onto the tarmac at Logan Airport when I arrived in the US. I knew nobody and had nowhere to stay. I was exhilarated and scared. Within the year, New York became my new home, and life as a student and bartender became my new normal.
The morning my daughter, Ava, was born I was filled with emotion, wonder and fear. Becoming a father made the greatest impact on my life and has been a role I’m most proud of and honored by. Quickly, this profound responsibility to this beautiful girl became my new normal.
Then, just a few months ago, I think of March 13, 2020, when I closed all the offices to the company. It took 15 years to build and one pandemic to shut it all down. I was incredibly sad and terribly afraid. For the past three months, our team has been working from home. We have stayed productive, more so than I ever imagined. Our creativity boomed as I think we had more time to actually think. And I am most proud that they have managed to represent our clients at the high standard we expect of ourselves. We stayed as a team. Yes, for the first week, we were shellshocked, but over the past three months, this has become our new normal.
The changes in my life have been constant. Some are much bigger than others, but all of them have defined me and the path I’ve traveled. This week we opened Phase 2 in New York City. Allowing us to show apartments once again and get our offices ready to reopen. Now our agents will check their temperatures before entering the office, show apartments with masks on, sign additional disclosure forms required by law, and keep a social distance from our clients and colleagues.
For the foreseeable future, this will be our new normal and I have every bit of confidence that we will rise to the occasion.