Year: 2020

A few friends texted us checking in on how we’re doing after news broke out of a late night tweet from the President of the United States in which he said he would “suspend immigration” for 60 days.

The reactions to the tweet were predictable in that it did two things at scale. It shed further light on the polarization of political discourse in the US. And, it also made sure various government agencies and officials, who were surprised by the tweet, scrambled to provide more guidance and clarity.

We finally learnt that they were suspending green card processing for 60 days in consulates abroad. Many suspect 60 days is just the start of a longer hiatus. And, many others still wonder on what other changes are coming down the pipe.

A friend shared an article on The New York Times about the panic and anger this sparked within the Indian diaspora. It touches on a lot of the daily immigration challenges we face.

For example, I am on a 20+ year queue for the green card (that’s an optimistic estimate – some estimate it to be closer to 40-50 years). This is different from folks who are born in other nations because there’s a yearly limit to the number of green card issues allocated per country of birth. This means that you can get a green card in 1-2 years if you’re neither Indian or Chinese, 5 years if you are Chinese, and god-knows-how-long if you’re Indian.

My employment, thus, is tied to a visa sponsored by my employer. If I lose my job, I have 60 days to find another one or I’m out of the country. If my visa is due for extension in the coming months (which it is), the renewal better come through before my work status expires. If it doesn’t, I’ll need to be off the payroll.

And, of course, all his becomes 2x more complex if you are married.

Also, lest I forget, we are at a far better stage in the process than the many who are either hoping for the visa lottery to give them a lucky break or waiting for a benevolent employer to sponsor their green card.

I haven’t written about this stuff in the past for two reasons. First, these are first world problems – I am fortunate to have skills that enable back up plans if none of this works out.

Second, it admittedly took us a year or two to learn how to deal with it and talk about it without provoking anxiety. We had multiple sleepless nights in 2017 when a random tweet or piece of news about the administration’s plans would result in long conversations about what our options might be, etc.

Luckily, we’ve learnt to take the uncertainty within our stride since and focus hard on what we control. Extra hard when such tweets pop up.

We’re all dealing with a lot of complexity at the moment. Such events exponentially add to the level of complexity. But, it comes with the territory when you are low on the list of electoral priorities.

So, again, all we can do is focus on what we control.

Here’s to that.

Heartbreak is universal.

True grit is not only having your heart broken – but it is also managing to keep that heart open despite the losses.

(H/T: Reboot by Jerry Colonna)

 

Observation: When a team seems unable to make progress on a problem, the 3 most likely causes tend to be (in order of likelihood) –

1. Unclear problem statement

2. Misaligned incentives

3. Absence of structure (clear requirements, roles and responsibilities, meeting cadence, processes to hold people accountable)

While it is natural to jump to conclusions about competence and/or intentions, it is amazing how clear problem statements, aligned incentives, and well defined structure miraculously transform the productivity of a team.

Plastic is an ever present in most of our lives. Sadly, the result is the presence of billions of tons of plastic wasted all over the planet – from the Arctic to the Mariana Trench. We don’t yet know the second and third order effects of all this waste – for example, what are the effects of plastic entering our food chain via animals and fish?

While such impact is hard to discern measure, it is highly likely not positive.

But, plastic is also an invaluable fixture in our daily lives. So, eliminating plastic is a near impossibility. And, even if we will hopefully make strides toward (significantly?) reducing plastic use over time, we also need to find a way to recycle plastic. This has proved to be really difficult in the past and researchers have been attacking the problem in earnest over the past two decades.

And, we have some good news along those lines – scientists in France have created a mutant bacterial enzyme that has managed to successfully break down 90% of PET bottles (think: soft drink bottles) and then use them create new-food grade plastic bottles. Their paper was published on the journal Nature recently – see here.

Carbios, the company that these scientists, founded is leading the charge here toward possibly enabling industrial scale recycling in 4-5 years. While that is most certainly 4-5 years later than I’d like, the fact that it is a possibility thanks to this breakthrough is very heartening.

(H/T: The Guardian for sharing this)

We finally got to watching Crazy Rich Asians last weekend – we loved it. In the week that has passed, we’ve probably listened to this rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Kina Grannis a hundred times.

Such an incredible cover – it is performed by her in the movie as well.

Thank you, Kina.

PS: There’s also a neat story about a Chinese version of Coldplay’s song “Yellow” in that movie and what it meant to the directory.

During a deeply unsettling time, many humans are on the frontlines making it possible for us to stay safe in our homes.

They are ensuring essentials like food are getting transported around the world, keeping grocery stores running, ensuring essential businesses stay open, fighting fire/emergencies, and, of course, treating the sick and wounded in hospitals.

Many of these folks are doing this while also facing real worries about not meeting ends meet.

While we can never repay the many who are sacrificing their health and wellness on the frontlines, there are two things we can do.

First, continue to stay at home so we ensure their struggles are not in vain.

And, second, do the small things that might help them. Tip generously, order some extra takeout from our favorite restaurant, say a heartfelt thank you during our grocery run, donate – each small steps adds a bit of gratitude and love into the system.

And, it all adds up.

“The drama of being human is great and complicated. The pathless path is pockmarked with pain and suffering. But seen from the vantage point that all steps are purposeful, all of it seems worthwhile – a glorious, life-giving retort to those who would question our worthiness and lovability.”| Jerry Colonna in Reboot

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve sprinkled a passage once a week from Jerry Colonna’s lovely book, Reboot. Thanks to my current snail’s pace of reading, I finally finished the book. The central thesis of the book is that better humans make better leaders.

As you might imagine, that resonates deeply.

And then there’s the fact that there are so many beautiful passages (like the one above) that struck a chord as I read them. So, more of these to come.

Thank you for a lovely book, Jerry.

Right from when our first kid was a few months old, we started a tradition wherein any fall or accident would be followed by –

a) an acknowledge of the “ouwie”
b) a kiss at the place where it is hurting the most
c) a stern word or two to the offending piece of furniture or floor to be careful

Three and a half years in and thanks to enthusiastic adoption by our second, these three steps follow every accident. a) calms the kids down, b) somehow helps them feel better, and c) is generally the source of much joy.

Aside from being a fun tradition, it has helped me appreciate the deep connection between physical and mental pain as well as the resulting profound power of placebos.

It also makes me think of pain I experience. How much of that would be solved by these 3 steps?

Perhaps more than I’d like to admit.

Aspirational habit/Periodic reminder to self: Find 5 minutes to appreciate one relationship – either a cross-functional partner/teammate at work or a friend outside of work.

3 added notes on this practice –

1. If we’re appreciating a work colleague, consider letting their manager know. Doing this with specific feedback about what we appreciate is the icing on the cake.

2. It helps to appreciate strong relationships while we are in them (this is very hard to do given our propensity to take them for granted!). Aside from being good for our happiness, it increases the likelihood we’ll keep that relationship strong and, thus, reduces the chance we’ll regret not sharing appreciation when we don’t have it anymore. :-)

3. Appreciating others instantly spreads joy and peace of mind. Doing so without any expectation of being appreciated gives us peace of mind and joy.

“Again and again, I therefore admonish my students in Europe and America: Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue.

And it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.

Then you will live to see that in the long-run, in the long-run, I say(!), success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.”

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I remember hearing this for the first time nearly a decade ago. It is a note I’ve thought of from time to time over the years.

I was reminded of it today. And, I was reminded of the fact that it is the sort of reminder that always seems perfectly timed.