The world is starting to recalibrate to a new normal, and it feels good, doesn’t it? We have moved in to the 3rd year of the pandemic – which it looks like now is finally in the endemic phase (oh let it be so!) – and we are starting to get more comfortable with our new normal.  We are doing different calibrations these days – when to mask up, and when to let it all go? Are there certain times we perhaps want to keep those masks on to protect ourselves and others? (I’m looking at you, air travel.)  Are there times we want to relax our personal protocols a bit? Living in Los Angeles, one of the cities that was incredibly hard hit during the pandemic, certainly we are a bit more cautious here than elsewhere.  But even here now you can palpably feel the collective exhale as we all begin to move forward.

 

There’s no denying that we are entering in to an irreversibly changed world. The labor shortage has empowered workers to ask for work-from-home or hybrid working situations, and companies that take a hard line are finding themselves needing to soften or reverse corse to retain talent. We explore different ways to facilitate serendipity and casual conversations in a hybrid work office, and explore what flexibility looks like in the future of work.  As we witness the geopolitical world order shifting with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we also grapple with the increasing effects of climate change.  There is a some good news on the horizon, and we highlight 5 technologies that give us some hope for the planet’s future.

 

In the end, it is our relationships with others and ourselves that give our life meaning and substance.  We explore things commonly regretted later in life, and how to avoid making those mistakes, and though it was posted earlier, it bears re-mentioning 12 ideas for adding  joy in your life that you can adopt in to your routine this summer, if you haven’t already.

 

Here’s to moving forward, and finding joy in the simple things of today.

 

Be well,

Natalie Kaye