Here are three things I’ve been reading and thinking about this week. Have a great weekend!

#1

When will offices be full again?

…excerpts from the New York Times’ email Dealbook.

Many companies don’t expect their workers to return to offices until next summer , and even then things may never be the same as before.

”Being together enables greater collaboration, which is key to our culture,” David Solomon, Goldman’s chief.

“They may never return to their previous capacity. Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan acknowledged that some working habits may have changed permanently, which “will ultimately reduce the space you need for your employees.”

BlackRock’s Larry Fink is excited about what employees could do with the two hours they save on daily commutes by staying home. “They spend that two hours to do more work,” he said on a conference call. “They could spend two hours improving their health by exercising. They could spend two hours more in building a deeper, stronger, more resilient family.”

At least two take-aways from these excerpts:

1) We are in this pandemic for a much longer time than we ever realized at the beginning. What was thought to be a few weeks or months is turning into a year or more. It’s time, or past time, to settle in to new routines and patterns that bring life instead of being in hunker-down mode. Begin thinking in terms of your faith, relationships, physical fitness and emotional health.

2) There is still plenty of disagreement what the world looks like after this is over! Some say one thing (remote work, for instance, is the way of the future) and some another (can’t wait to get back together as it can’t be replaced). So, hold your opinions lightly and be ready to adapt is how I am thinking.

#2

Can we carry the burden of reality? How can we remain open to all of the tragedies and aware of the vast ocean of human suffering without becoming mentally paralyzed and depressed?

Henri J. Nouwen from Reaching Out

Nouwen goes on to say that while it is difficult to stay open and aware, it is possible through God. And while it is demanding to do so it is imperative to our faith. What if we begin to see these times of trial as pathways for sanctification instead of potholes disrupting comfort? I believe that perspective will mean the difference between making it through and being changed.

#3

If some are still dominated by their former bad habits, and yet can teach by mere words, let them teach…For perhaps, being put to shame by their own words, they will eventually begin to practice what they teach.

by John of the Ladder (a 7th century ascetic who lived 40 years on Mt Sinai in solitude)

This quote is for the preachers and teachers. You understand what a humbling thing it is to regular preach/teach knowing how unqualified and broken you are. But we do it anyway and perhaps find it helps us as much as anyone.