Moved to a small town that's a lot more bike friendly than the suburban hellscape I previously lived in, and only have one car now. My wife works in the next city over so she gets the car, and I've spent my unemployed time fixing up my neglected relic and turned it into a daily driver. I needed a new derailer, brake housings and bar tape. Got that done and am gonna put some new tires once I start getting some paychecks. Tires are fine for now, but are very narrow and we have a lot of dirt roads and paths and I want some wider tires. Added a bag to the top bar that has a clear slot for a phone so I can nav around while I'm still learning the lay of the land. Also got an under saddle bag for a spare tube, a tire lever and a c02 cart. Got my hand pump attached to the same mount as my bottle. This month I've put 60 miles on it after not riding for at least 4 years and while my cheeks were killing me the first week I'm feeling great now. I thought riding down small roads would be nerve racking, but the roads are so empty people pass with plenty of room and are generally very courteous.
Suspension is overrated. IMO you definitely don't need it unless you're off-pavement, and even then (e.g. on gravel or even singletrack without a ton of rocks or tree roots) a rigid frame is often good enough.
If you're that worried about it, get an old rigid mountain bike with 26"x1.5" street tires (which have more compliance than skinny high-pressure road bike tires). That's my daily driver, and its comfort is just fine.
But tires with more compliance also have more rolling resistance, so they're pretty crap for going long distances on pavement.
That's why my commuter bike has skinny tires and suspension. Let the suspension provide compliance over the endless bumps and cracks, while still having efficient skinny tires pumped up to 80psi. Then the bike can be fast and efficient without beating you to death over every little bump.