Actual conversations I had in 2020

This is not intended as a note of self-pity but rather a kind of reminder for me in the future. 2020 will be a famously challenging year. My experience was far less painful than many due to an array of privileges.

But goodness, I still found it stressful — and fast changing. One way I found myself thinking about it was by keeping a very strange list of the actual conversations I had with family, friends and coworkers this year.

Future me, don’t forget it. Here they in a chronological order:

  • Must we cancel our upcoming events for public health reasons even though they generate revenue for our company?
  • Should we close the office indefinitely, although public health officials have not yet recommended it?
  • Ought I postpone or cancel the much-planned 10th annual Philly Tech Week, for which we’ve already put out some $100,000 in expenses?
  • Should we home birth our first-born child because the health system might collapse?
  • Will I be able to make our next company payroll?
  • How long much a family member fully quarantine to see our first child?
  • Must I consider temporary pay cuts for our staff?
  • Can we see family and friends outside if we wear masks and remain distant?
  • What childcare options will we consider during this pandemic?
  • What do we do now that our family member has been committed by their therapist?
  • What is my responsibility for engaging with friends and acquaintances who are voicing what I view to be reprehensibly undemocratic views?
  • Is it helpful or harmful for our newsroom to call this an attempted presidential coup?
  • Despite covid-19 restrictions, should I be in attendance for this family member’s brain surgery?

Good riddance 2020.

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