The Great Debriefing Part Deux

I was reminded of Rebecca Makai’s recent op-ed about shifts in introvert/extrovert dynamics across the last few years, when a friend described her own relationship to Zoom the other day.

She couldn’t do it anymore. She wanted to be with people. Could I host something IRL, my friend asked. I told her that I couldn’t right now, but that I feel confident that there are ways to make Zoom feel as real as possible. It’s about intention. Our most vital tool is being human.

In 2021, I proposed that we needed a “Great Debriefing” about the pandemic, but it appeared people weren’t ready (two people signed up). It seems that people have come in and out of being ready across the last two years. We read articles and tried to put a handle on the collective unshakable loss.

Some people went on with things more quickly than others. Some people turned their lives upside down. Some people are immunocompromised, and have described the pain of being overlooked as others describe post-pandemic life. Even if the pandemic is over for people with the privilege of saying so, it’s hard to tell if, when, or how the processing has begun.

So, I am trying again. This fall, I’m hosting two cohorts of The Great Debriefing. Each group will meet for three 90-minute conversations on Zoom. I want to invite people to consider the past, present, and future of their relationship to pandemic life, not necessarily in that order.

Whether or not you’d like to join, I offer the following questions:

• How have you changed in the last three years?

• What dials turned up and which ones lowered to a whisper?

• What new habits formed and which ones from “before” have you let go of, whether by choice or necessity?

• What changes had to do with getting a few years older versus your shifting environments?

• What would you do the same or differently if March 2020 replayed tomorrow?

Space is limited; register for a chance to talk with others about the last three years.