Glitter in my wake

What's changed, and how have you changed? Also, 7 other things worth knowing today.

You might have noticed that I've gotten in the habit of organizing the Friday newsletters around a single question, or maybe a few related questions, and then asking people to comment.

Let's do it again. This week's idea comes from yet another interview I've done with someone who'd like to contribute to Understandably.¹ (So far, we’ve had extremely great response to these guest writers, which is great news for me since after writing about 700 of these daily newsletters, I’m getting a little tired!)

With that, meet Christy Cole, a labor and delivery nurse, a yoga instructor, and a writer.

Hopefully we'll hear from her directly soon, but as I prepared to talk with Christy recently, I read an interview she'd given in Colorado. In short, she talked about how her plans to start a wellness-oriented business for medical professionals had been interrupted by the pandemic.

This line caught me:

Oophta. As with many of us — COVID kind of broke me…

So I asked her more during our interview:

I had COVID. It legit took me out for three weeks. I thought I was going to die.

But in some ways it gave me a new lease on life, and this idea of, 'I don't always know if I have tomorrow.'

So therefore, I'm very cognizant of what I'm doing today, and the legacy I'm leaving behind, and trying to leave people better than I found them, and leave glitter in my wake.

Not to get all Renee Zellweger circa 1996, but …

Shut up, just shut up, you had me at "glitter in my wake." You had me at “glitter in my wake.”

If you can be the person who both (a) has something serious to say, but also (b) can use that phrase earnestly and non-distractingly while embracing the aura—let's just say I think you have a future in this business.

So, my questions for you, the readers.

• First, "COVID kind of broke me" is a sentence in the past tense. Is the pandemic in the past tense for you? Is it over? Is your life still affected? and/or...

• Second, as you look back on this whole shared experience (well, semi-shared), how do you think it changed you? and/or...

• And third, more broadly, have you had a specific life experience that affected you the way Christy describes recovering from a severe bout with COVID affected her? Has there been anything that's convinced you to try to leave the world better than you found it? and/or...

Bonus: While I realize after Googling that Christy didn't coin "glitter in my wake," what's the unusual turn of phrase that you've adopted, and that people comment on? I think a lot of us have these; I'll be curious to know whether we're aware of them.

Let us know in the comments. And have a great summer weekend.

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7 other things worth knowing today

• President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and is experiencing “very mild symptoms,” the White House said, as new variants of the highly contagious virus are challenging the nation’s efforts to get back to normal after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions. (AP)

• The House passed a bill to make contraception legal under federal law, passing it 228-195 largely along party lines. Democrats said they were spurred by Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion in the ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, in which he wrote that the court should also revisit the 1965 court decision that prohibited states from banning contraceptives. (NBC News)

• Extreme heat in Europe caused Pearl Jam to cancel a concert in Vienna. The band told fans on Instagram that lead singer Eddie Vedder's throat had been "damaged" at his last show outside Paris due to heat, dust and smoke from nearby fires. (CNN)

• Cities could dramatically reduce peak summer temperatures by replacing hot, dark surfaces — like streets, rooftops, playgrounds and parking lots — with cooler alternatives. A full suite of interventions could reduce peak temperatures up to 5 degrees — but make it feel up to 15 degrees cooler, according to an advocacy group. (Axios)

• Bad news: U.S. airlines aren’t just short of pilots, planes and flight attendants. They’re also running short on pillows. (Bloomberg)

• Good news? Cruise lines are so desperate to fill cabins that taking a cruise could cost less than filling your gas tank (although taxes and fees might make that statement a little far-fetched). (WashPost)

• Nobody likes self-checkout. Here's why it's everywhere. (CNN)

1. For those who haven't followed this: I'm getting a tiny bit burned out after basically 1,000 days of writing a daily newsletter. Plus I have vacation coming up, and I want to devote some time to "bigger-picture things" regarding the future of Understandably. I won't stop writing, but I do think I need more help.