The Friday Thing #679

Well, here we are….another Friday and for many (I hope) the last Friday at work for a bit. Everyone deserves a break…

The Friday Thing #679 begins with two Covid stories that were recommended to me this week by my friend, Matt. He hosted a fantastic discussion with my team this week that we called “On The Front Lines of Covid”. As physicians, Matt and his wife Cindy truly have been on the front lines over the last 9 months – working at Evergreen in Kirkland, caring for patients, and conducting important research amongst many other things. They’ve also looked after our neighborhood in ways I am not sure even they realize – so I have huge gratitude and thanks for all of that. I will raise a glass of Irish whiskey (or two) with Matt this weekend and thank him on your behalf. Meantime, check out these two pieces he recommended. The first is On the Front Lines of a Pandemic, ‘I Love You’ Can Mean ‘Goodbye’ from the New York Times. The second is Rural Matters — Coronavirus and the Navajo Nation from the New England Journal of Medicine. 

Continuing with the Covid theme, it was fascinating to read the Oxford Languages’s annual Word of the Year and the linguistic impact of Covid. It’s not something that had really occurred to me but Covid really has changed the lexicon. How many times this year have you said “social distancing” compared to last year? And what about the words remote or virtual? While normally associated (or collocated) with island or reality, both now have very different meanings for many of us. I also learned some new words (blursday) and was reminded of words I didn’t want to be reminded of (doomscrolling). The report is really worth a look – Words of an Unprecedented Year report.

Words of an Unprecedented Year report

In more positive pandemic news, MacKenzie Scott published a wonderful essay this week titled 384 Ways to Help and explained how she has given away $4.1bn over the course of 4 months. It’s an inspirational read and worth your time to understand the diligence and thoughtfulness of these gifts. 

Let’s keep those good vibes going. This week, I shared a set of cards from The School of Life titled “Resilience”. I love lots of things this organization creates and these cards are my new favourite. Throughout the week, I have occasionally picked a random card from the deck and set it on my desk in my line of sight. This is one of my favourites of the week that I posted on Instagram. I’ll be posting a few more over the next few weeks, along with some from their Small Pleasures series. 

I’ll wrap up with a small pleasure that has been a treat throughout my day today. When not on calls, DJ Jolene has been keeping me bouncing along as I cranked through my inbox and had some fun on Teams with my team. Check out her latest mix, Beach Sand. 

Okay…..that’s all I’ve got for you this week. Cocktail name? I dunno…The Blursday?

Cheers! 

-Steve