Covid 19. That’s all we hear or see these days. Every decision we make is influenced by it.  Where will we go this weekend? Who will we see? How can we celebrate life’s most special occasions? What will my child’s education look like? How can I set up my home office? Should I stay home? Should I go out? Where can I get a vaccination? When will this end?

I’ve noticed that after a year of living under this pandemic cloud, people I talk to don’t want to discuss Covid 19 anymore. “I don’t want to relive this past year”, said a friend of mine as we thought back on where we were exactly a year ago today.  It’s understandable considering how much we have lost due to this disease.  Some of us have lost more than others.  We have all read about a family that lost one, two or more immediate family members from the Coronavirus. Both parents, a child, a grandparent or two. This disease came out of nowhere and turned everything upside down in a moment.  My stepfather used to say, “Life changes on a dime.” Clearly, he was right. 

That is one of the greatest take-aways from this pandemic nightmare. Life is incredibly unpredictable. We never know where life will take us from minute to minute. You can live a fairly tame, uneventful life for forty years, and then bam. Disease, accidents, violence, disasters can strike. We all fall victim to life’s whims at one time or another.

The other lesson we have all learned from the sudden appearance of this deadly disease is that life is precious. Now we all already knew that, right? We love our parents, our kids, our friends, our spouses and partners.  We value them. We need them. But, this experience of not being able to hug them or even see them when we would like to has to been a harsh reminder of how much we mean to each other.

What should we do with these two life lessons? We should pay attention and act.  My husband and I were discussing our business this morning.  We are attorneys who just started a law firm together. We are specializing in real estate, wills, trusts and estates and employment law. We are discovering that estate planning clients have been the hardest clients to get. My husband is troubled by this because as he points out, “everyone needs a will and some sound estate planning.”  “I know”, I say, “but people don’t want a will. People want to buy a house or sue their boss but they just don’t want to prepare for the inevitable.”

I encourage you, my readers to pay attention and act. Life is ridiculously unpredictable and our loved ones are the most precious things in our lives.  Planning for their financial and emotional protection when we pass on is the most responsible and loving thing we can do.  I can’t tell you how many parents of young children I know who don’t have a will. It’s alarming actually. Some of them are involved in high-risk occupations too, like police officers, fire fighters and pilots. Wills are relatively economical to draft and do not have to be complicated, but we still don’t prioritize that call to our attorney.  I urge you to just get it done. Protect your children and spouses. Name guardians for your minor children and outline who will receive and manage your assets in the event of your passing. Put it on your list and cross it off. Get it done. For them. Today.