Hey APW,
I’ve been thinking this week about just how much the world, and weddings have changed in the past five months. About how things that we thought were unimaginable in March, are now just our day to day reality. It can be hard to chart the changes, because, well, our brains are overwhelmed by changes. (Side note: is anyone else finding that one of their reactions to this kind of trauma is fully being in the moment, AKA, not having a normally functioning memory? I’ll come downstairs from putting a child to sleep, and David will ask me, “What did they say before bed?” And I’ll look at him blankly and realize I can’t really remember.)
But, I did an interview with the Jewish Women’s Archive, and they said this:
While other wedding websites were cheerfully encouraging June and July 2020 couples to hold off on making decisions about their 150-person weddings as states locked down until further notice, APW pivoted immediately to helping couples adjust their expectations, navigate recoup losses, and re-arranging plans.
And until I read that, I’d forgotten how back in March, the idea of telling people with June weddings that they should consider re-scheduling seemed bananas. And now here we are, discussing in great detail in the comments what risks are ethical to take with large weddings right now. What is this world?
Around here, things have been really lovely at work. The APW team remains amazing, we did a huge launch on Practical Business School (and I accidentally wrote a 156 page book in one week, that went out in rough draft form to our Summer Session participants). But in my personal life it’s been choppier. We have a close friend with health issues (not COVID, because life carries on apace) and it’s adding a layer of stress to 2020 that makes it feel even harder to cope. And even yet, I know our struggles are tiny compared to so many of others, and it makes my heart feels like breaking into a million pieces.
But here is your open thread. Discuss weddings, coping, or frankly whatever you need.
xo
Meg
