Five years represent more than 1,800 days of our lives. With the pace of life and the ever-accelerating news cycle, a lot can happen to us as individuals and as a community over that period. I do not often take the time to reflect on what has happened in my life and the lives of those around me. I should.

A Chinese bamboo tree can remain mysteriously dormant and show no signs of growth for five years. Then with unbridled abandon, that tree can grow to as much as 90 feet tall in a single year. We could not have anticipated that amount of growth based on what we observed. But clearly, things were happening below the surface.

We all deal with trauma differently, depending on how we have been nurtured. Our individual trauma also contributes to a collective trauma that a group of people have experienced together. The impact may be muted or invisible to the naked eye, yet it is there below the surface.

Our nation experienced the trauma of 9/11 together. The too-numerous-to-recount school shootings that have shattered lives in our country have brought victims of that type of shared trauma together. We can all produce other examples of collective trauma.

As we approach the 5-year remembrance of the murder of George Floyd, our local community and society at-large are faced with reliving this infamous milestone and its associated trauma. This time of reflection also begs the question, “Has anything changed?” What is beneath the surface of what we can easily see?

On the political front, major public safety reforms have been debated and implemented. There is no consensus on whether these measures have been enough.

On the economic empowerment front, significant public and private investments have been made in businesses impacted by the peaceful and violent unrest that followed Mr. Floyd’s murder. Again, many question whether enough has been done because racial disparities in education, economic opportunities and housing remain.

But the most elusive aspect to measure in the five years since that day in late May of 2020 is the human toll. It is impossible to avoid experiencing some sort of impact from this murder, even without being Black, or being a nearby resident of 38th and Chicago, or having any reason to believe that social justice is an ideal worth pursuing.

Each of us was impacted by the murder of George Floyd in different ways and on different levels. For me, I experienced this tragedy as a fellow human being, a Black man and as a destination marketing professional who is paid to represent our community to a world we want to encourage to visit. Candidly, that was very difficult for some of us immediately following Mr. Floyd’s murder.

What about Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old who had the presence of mind to record the police action using her cell phone? She had no idea her act of heroism would change history. What about the business owners who had their livelihoods interrupted, if not completely obliterated? Many of them are still working to get back. What about the vast majority of our Minneapolis Police Department who perform admirably and valiantly? They face being painted in a homogenous and negative way. And what about those who may have become numb to this type of tragedy because of the frequency? And lest we forget the impact on those who attempt to ignore or suppress that this was even a tragedy.

Researchers say that it can take weeks, months or even years to process trauma. That is why I hope that when we begin to reflect on this 5-year commemoration in our own personal ways, that we do not place any self-imposed expectations on what this time represents. Five years is a convenient and soundbite-worthy mark. However, we cannot fall into the trap that politically, economically and most importantly, emotionally, healing has taken place. Five years is just a mile marker along our journey.