I’ve always been a lucky one. No not with big lottery prizes, though I did win half of the Boston Bruins 50/50 raffle at a game earlier this year. No, lucky with the things that matter most: family and friends, work and community, and health and happiness. Luck has seemingly followed me around, including at Clark, where I happily remind most everyone who will listen that I got a great degree and an even better wife during the most important four years of my life while in The Woo.

Like those of us so lucky, this pandemic hasn’t personally impacted me. Sure, I’m out of my routine, may have put on a few pounds, and am sporting a bushier head of gray hair than I’d like, but, thankfully, family is well, my work is productive, and, as Susan (’83) reminds me, bushy gray hair is better than none at all.

My “isolation” is something I wish on so many others: We’re “stuck” in our Maine beach house we luckily purchased just months before the crisis hit. Even here, my Clark connections are constant and comforting, from the Zoom reunion we had with friends from the best class ever, to my casual stroll along the beach being turned into a long discussion of college hoops with an octogenarian who, while approaching and noticing my Clark sweatshirt, shouted out: “Doug Roberts” (’80) – ah, the Maine legends!

For those of us who are not at the mercy of this ravaging virus, we owe more than a debt of gratitude to the heroes among us who are in harm’s way making life better for others. I’m glad to be supporting charities helping those in need, like the Worcester Together Fund, buying gift cards to our favorite local restaurants, wearing a face mask in public, advising on reopening our state and country, and keeping people together via social media @JayAshMACP.

I do wish I had a profound revelation to share, but, like the different colored peas in the Clark peapod, I’ve always found my individual belonging to be in a community that finds it natural to be among and support each other. These days are no different for me. How lucky am I?!