Opening The Burrow During A Pandemic
It has been roughly 7 months of what will likely become one of the most memorable years of our lives. We have all felt the impacts of this pandemic in a multitude of ways, and to varying degrees. While I can’t speak to what this has been like for all of you, I do feel I can say with certainty, that we have all felt overwhelmed by this experience, and I think we can all agree that we are ready for life to return to the maskless, non-socially distant version that we remember.
I don’t think anyone expected this year to be the way it has. I know Billy and I were looking forward to regaining a sense of normalcy following the closure of our businesses, and enduring the buildout process of The Burrow over the course last year, all while preparing to welcome our baby boy into our lives. I find it both ironic, and in fleeting moments somewhat amusing, that we were just 4 days away from our soft opening when the governor announced restrictions for businesses and stay at home orders for all New Mexicans.
Isn’t that life though? It never seems to go as planned. Even when you are meticulously planning for the worst case scenario, which is what you do when you are budgeting and planning to open a new business. Inevitably, a scenario occurs which is absolutely not what you imagined you would have to plan for. At first, I admit, I was furious. I was exhausted, and furious. Oliver was just 5 months old, and was recovering from both a lip, and tongue tie release. So, the thought of having to postpone opening our business after working relentlessly for a year and half, literally felt like the WORST case scenario to my sleep deprived mom brain.
Then, slowly, I felt less mad, still exhausted, but a little less angry and disappointed. It felt eerily similar to when I realized I would have exactly one month to close my business, while in the throes of the first trimester of my pregnancy with Oliver. Reluctantly, I started to realize, this situation felt like so many others in my life, when I wasn’t sure how I would pull through. This circumstance, while wildly unexpected, and unique, required me to access the same coping skills and inner strength I had drawn on too many times to count over the last 10 years. I found myself falling back into survival mode, and forcing myself to examine what was essential in both our business as well as our personal lives. This process, as uncomfortable as it was, only served to reinforce what I already knew. That life is unpredictable, challenging, and sometimes downright terrifying. Life is also not as complex as we are inclined to believe it to be, and is in fact full of opportunities, most often disguised as problems.
I have come to believe that the goal is not to get to a place in life where everything makes sense, where you know what to expect and feel completely capable of managing whatever may come your way. It is more about ensuring that you can in fact cope when life doesn’t go the way you hoped. It is about learning how to find joy in simplicity and hope in difficult times, because if you are fortunate, your life will be full of the unexpected.
The unexpected, unexplained, and unprecedented moments in our lives create opportunities and teach us so much more than simplicity ever could. So, it is with this thought in mind that I want to, most humbly, thank each of you. The unexpected nature of opening our business during a pandemic, was everything you think it would be. Terrifying, frustrating, exhausting, and incredibly challenging. It has also, however, been uplifting, rewarding and full of too many moments of gratitude to count. All because of our community, who, while facing their own versions of this pandemic, have continued to come out and support small local businesses, like us. A cup of coffee and a crepe, while it may be a delicious treat for you, is in fact security to us, and for that, we couldn't be more grateful.
So, hopefully, when you find yourself grabbing for your mask and heading in for your next cup of Vietnamse Iced Coffee, you remember this post and how deeply we appreciate you. Hopefully, you also remember to take time to find little moments of joy throughout your day and within these unprecedented times, knowing this sleep deprived mama is drinking her coffee at home, thinking of you and feeling joy.
-Amanda Nguyen-