by Craig Colby
Dear 2020,
It can’t be easy having everyone mad at you. In fairness, there’s no way we can feel good about what happened this year, you know, with all the anger, hunger and death. But let me thank you for one thing, the legacy of one simple question you posed to each of us – what are you going to do?
What are you going to do about the pandemic? The obvious answer was stay home. There were some surprising benefits to this response. Jam packed drives from the suburbs to the city were replaced by walking out of the bedroom. It was a glimpse into new possibilities. Maybe we don’t have to leave home to work, which opens up a lot of opportunities, particularly for disabled people. Personally, I enjoyed having lunch with my family every day, and working out at home with my 16-year-old son instead of going to the gym.
What are you going to do about racism? There were some shocking responses to this one. The Washington NFL team dropped its odious nickname, even before they had a replacement. They called themselves “Football Team” all season. Cleveland’s baseball team will drop its nickname “Indians” too. I never thought I’d see either happen. Black Lives Matter logos were seen in the NBA bubble and MLB stadiums. The NFL even embraced the players’ decision to take a knee during the national anthem. I wish society adapted as quickly as sports did.
So what can I do as a middle-aged white man, the beneficiary of a white world? I tried to listen more. I read White Fragility, engaged in a lot of conversations, and tried to make diversity a conscious part of my work, when I had work. I also started this blog as a way of addressing the big issues we all face. I know it’s not enough.
What are you going to do about the economic disaster? The work I had lined up for the year disappeared, so I pursued new customers. I joined a few business groups to meet new people. Learning from different entrepreneurs was exciting. I also started two online interview shows, one for small business owners and one for storytellers. That promotion helped. I landed two contracts. The first was with the Aga Khan Museum creating a streaming broadcast of their annual fall fundraiser. The second was with the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, producing interviews for their online gathering. On both contracts I worked with great people, addressing the important challenges of the day. It was exhilarating.
Still, 2020, whatever I did this year, I know it wasn’t enough. I made less money than I have since the early 1990s. I wasn’t part of the solution to any big societal issues. However, whatever I did paid off in some way. Sometimes it was a different way to do things, sometimes a different way to look at a situation, often it was meeting someone interesting who taught me something new. None of my actions were futile.
We can’t control what happens to us, just how we deal with it. 2020, I hope I never see another year like you, but if I do, I’m prepared to handle it. If life punches me in the face again, I know what I’m going to do - stay in the fight.
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Craig Colby is a television executive producer, producer, director, writer and story editor. He runs a storytelling consulting and production service for businesses. He can be reached at craig@colbyvision.net for consulting, training, writing or production.