What We Can Learn From The Way My Parents Handled Adversity

After years of hard work as a veterinarian, my father had finally accomplished his dream of opening his own clinic. In the 1940s, my parents bought a building in downtown Baltimore and opened an animal hospital.

The neighborhood went through many evolutions over the years, as many downtown neighborhoods do, and crime was getting progressively worse. My parents had been robbed a couple of times, but each time they decided to stick it out. They truly cared about their community and being there to provide care.

In the late ‘70s, on a Friday night at dusk, their commitment would be tested. Two robbers with guns entered the animal hospital. My father threw his hands up to avoid violence, but the robbers panicked and attacked him, beating him to the ground. Horrified, my mother burst out of the backroom, kicking, swinging, and shouting. She managed to land a kick square in one of the robber’s privates, but she too got pistol-whipped to the ground.

At this point, my parents had to make a difficult decision. Do they give up on everything they had worked for, or do they get up and fight back? Do they give up on their neighborhood, or do they stand up to the criminals?

My father was born and raised in the tough neighborhood of South Philly, so he was not about to give up. He and my mother got up, and they fought back until the robbers fled the scene.

After the events of the evening, a reporter asked my parents if they would relocate their business. My father said, “Where are we gonna move? It’s tough everywhere today. There ain’t no place to run.” And so they stayed, and they practiced successfully into their old age.

My parent’s valiant fight did not chase crime out of the neighborhood, but it did affirm one thing for me; when difficult situations arise, don’t let them beat you down. Get up and fight back.

Covid-19 has beaten us all down in one way or another, and like my parents, we’ve had to decide whether to throw in the towel or to rise to the occasion and persevere.

At Main Street Planning Group, we are faced with a rapidly evolving insurance landscape. Products are being discontinued almost every day, and new ones are being birthed at the same time. These changes present us with new challenges every day, and it’s in times like these that I remember how my parents rose to the occasion and continued to support their community no matter the circumstances they faced.

Main Street Planning Group and I are committed to being the best back-office support and resource to the insurance community, by keeping you current with all new insurance products, tax trends, and other factors affecting our industry so you can be the best agent for your clients.

I hope that my parent's story will inspire strength as you face your own challenging circumstances now, and into the future.

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