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What to Expect in 2024? I Haven’t a Clue!

January 8th, 2024 by Kenneth Abrahams

There is a book out there titled What to Expect When You are Expecting. For many couples, it is a pregnancy bible or at least a road map. It details every step of every stage of one’s pregnancy. As a matter of fact, the book is only one in a series of books by the same author. There are other titles talking about how to get pregnant and how to talk to your kids when you are pregnant. One book details growth and milestones in the first year. Author Heidi Murkoff’s works have been published in countries all over the globe and in many languages. As I said, her books often layout timelines, milestones, and developmental marks for expectant mothers and later for kids to hit or be aware of. As our kids were just beginning to talk, I remember my wife counting the different and distinct words that they spoke wanting to hit the 12 or 18 words by the month that the book suggests is where they should be in development. There is a lot of information in all of Ms. Murkoff’s books.

Wouldn’t it be great if the rest of life had a book or a series of books that let you know, step by step, what the year or your life had in store for you? Boy, could I use a book like that for 2024. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect. Personally, it promises to be a great year as our grandson continues to grow, develop, and begin to walk and speak. Even though they are older, watching our kids navigate the path to adulthood and find their way in the world is exciting. On many other fronts, the next year is a murky, fog shrouded, mystery.

For one thing, what is the status of COVID? For the first time in months, I have gotten more and more emails from people apologizing for their delayed response but their entire household, a parent, a child, or a significant other had been infected. Unlike a few months ago, the symptoms seem to be getting worse not better. Although no one that I know has been hospitalized, many of them have had symptoms akin to a severe flu, as opposed to the mild cold-like symptoms many were reporting over the Summer. On flights, in airports, on the street, and in stores or malls, more people are back to masking up for protection. Signs are appearing again in schools and businesses encouraging people that are sick to stay home, and after encountering others, more people are dousing their hands, and visible parts of their arms, with hand sanitizer. How is this apparent surge going to impact businesses, schools, air travel, and events? Will it get bad enough to once again have people thinking twice about having events that are going to put a lot of people in one location together? Will testing become requested or required? These are questions that I simply can’t answer.

It would be great if that were the only nagging issue. For years the “experts” have advised against ever mentioning politics in a space or on a platform like this, but it is hard to ignore in 2024. If either Joe Biden or Donald Trump are elected, they will be the oldest president (by a good margin) ever elected. Questions continue to be raised about them or many other politicians being able to connect with the 18–30 year-olds that are now voting. Can some of these long-standing politicians come up with creative solutions for the myriad of problems facing us today? This has been a strange electoral process with some democrats calling for Biden to not run again and republican debates featuring a multitude of candidates except the double-digit front runner. Over the past 12 – 24 months we have seen unprecedented upheaval with the Speaker of the House. Some people forget that the Speaker is 3rd in line for the presidency. There has been a parade of politicians from both parties that have run afoul of the law, their party, or their constituents. Some have been forced out, while others proclaim their innocence and fight on. No question that, politically, 2024 while be fascinating theater, it would be better as a movie instead of real life.

At the end of 2023, the stock market is again hitting or flirting with all-time highs and inflation seems to have slowed. For many businesses, the landscape is the same as it was a year ago with open positions and seemingly no one to fill them. Restaurants, some that are or were institutions in the cities or towns where they were located, continue to close. Near where I live, 3 restaurants, each with over 20 years of serving the public, are already closed or will close at the beginning of the year. Two of the 3 locations already have new tenants that are also restaurants but neither of them is open yet. On both of those new places their opening soon signs are starting to show wear from having been outside for months. Perhaps for some of these places it was just time. For others the allure of retirement may have been too great. After countless hours in their restaurants, it may be time to relax, hang out with grand kids and/or travel. Some simply may have had enough of the long hours and sore achy muscles. Whatever the reason, they will be missed.  

Colleges and universities, as well as businesses, continue to deal with the post COVID 19 landscape. It seems that this year we have heard about more school closures as enrollments at many institutions continue to decline. There are no shortage of stories discussing a glut of office space in many major cities as companies continue to either downsize or allow employees to work from home full or part time. Many employees are willing to take a cut in pay to move to a position that allows full or part time remote work. For some organizations, the concern over a remote work force isn’t an issue of productivity but one of culture. How can a team really get to know one another and gel if their only contact is through Zoom? How do you effectively onboard, as well as welcome, new staff when everyone is siloed in their home offices. For those of us that worked in offices for years, especially if you are at the same company, the remote situation is a bit easier than it would be for a recent graduate coming into their first professional experience. Will this change in 2024? Your guess is as good as mine.

One sage piece of wisdom that someone mentioned recently is to hold on to the good parts of 2023. For many, that I know 2023 was a tough year and they are anxiously waiting to turn the page. Even some of those folks had at least one or 2 things that were high points, those they can cling to and push forward into the new year. For me, it was the birth of our first grandchild, glass blowing in Aruba, and time spent with family and friends. What will 2024 bring? Honestly, I have no idea and I’m not sure that I want any advance notice as to what to expect. After all life is something that can only be lived and savored one day at a time. Have a great 2024.

About the author

Ken Abrahams is looking forward to his 64th trip around the sun this year. In the words of Forrest Gump “My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” We are all just waiting to see what the 2024 box holds.

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