The Calendar Is All That’s Changing
This is the time of year when we look back at the past 12 months, and look forward to a new year and a fresh 12 months.
Normally, we can make clear demarcations…that was that year, this is this year.
But that’s certainly not the case as 2021 turns into 2022…just as it was not the case as 2020 turned into 2021.
The key issues of last year—COVID’s impact on life and business, global public health, dysfunctional politics—wound up being the same key issues this year. And they won’t end just because we turn a calendar page soon.
If anything, last year at this time, we had more optimism—a sense that a vaccine would take care of just about everything. That was probably always false hope, but regardless, we certainly don’t see it as the be-all-and-end-all now. Issues regarding workforce and child care that impacted businesses before COVID are even more pronounced now. The surprise to most in 2021 was inflation, the worst in four decades…and there’s no sign of improvement on that front going in to the next year.
If anything, there’s even more of a fear that 2022 will be at best a stalemate…it’s an election year, and posturing by both sides will get in the way of productive unifying policy. And that fighting could actually lead to things getting worse.
You and I can’t control any of that. But we can control our reaction to it. And I’ll have more on that when we talk at this time tomorrow.
