From Vice President Doug McDougall

Anybody remember the old song from the sixties “Big Yellow Taxi”? The refrain went:  “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone?”

The lyric summarizes where we are now. We used to take for granted everyday activities like going to the grocery store, going out for dinner, getting a haircut, or walking in our neighborhoods, but suddenly everything is different. I don’t think things have ever changed so fast or so much at any time in my life as they have in the past two months. 

Yet out of adversity comes opportunity. The pace of life has slowed. Our dog loves the extra attention. We’re finding ourselves spending more time on the phone talking to relatives and old friends than we did before shelter in place. We’re checking on vulnerable people we know to be sure they’re doing alright. Although we are physically distancing, we’re socially closer.

It is a good time to reflect on what a wonderful community we have at KAUN. We thrive on the friendly connections we have when we meet at the airport. Now, things are not the same, and we have to think about keeping physical distance from everyone, for their safety as well as our own. It feels awkward. It makes me realize how much the airport, or more accurately, the people who make it such a great place, mean to me, and I look forward to the time when conditions will improve. I don’t know when or if airport life will ever be quite the same again for us, but I believe good days and fair weather lie ahead.

We’ll get through this crisis in much better shape if we all pull together and look out for each other. A lot of our local businesses are having a very difficult time. Think about steering a little business their way if you can. Many of the stores and restaurants we normally patronize are still open and have found creative ways to continue to be of service to our community. Let’s do our part to help get them through this unprecedented economic turmoil Here’s a glass-half-full view for you: The weather is beautiful. The grass is green, and the blue skies are clearer than they have been in ages. The airport is open, and we can take the opportunity to raise the hangar door and fly in the sky. Maybe take some of your quarantine-stressed housemates with you--pulling back on the elevator has been known to lift the spirits as well as the airplane!

So stay safe and stay healthy, remain calm, be patient, and maintain your physical distance while we wait for this storm to clear!

Doug McDougall

Vice President