They say real friends will stick by you in the bad times, but in my experience, it’s sometimes the total stranger that really comes through in a time of need. Think about it: Emergencies rarely happen when all of the people you know and trust are just conveniently around to help you. It’s usually some random person who comes across you stranded on the side of the road, lost in a strange place or suddenly hurt or grieving, and reaches out a hand in the darkness. Our interactions with them are often brief, but we never forget the helping hands and kind words given by the random angels life sends. Thank you, kind strangers. You probably don’t know what a big difference you’ve made.
Our favorites this week
Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week
A home run move
There are few summer evenings more glorious than ones spent basking under the bright ballpark lights (or sweating in a tiny plastic stadium seat, depending on how you look at it). A group of Red Sox fans from Malden, Massachusetts were preparing to do just that when the fourth member of their baseball posse cancelled on them. Rather than waste the ticket, the young men decided to offer it to a homeless man they met on their way to Fenway Park. The man’s reply? “Hell yeah, let’s go.” The trio bought the guy a beer and they all enjoyed a few innings of Red Sox ball before parting with handshakes and smiles. See? That’s what sports is for: making new friends and, if the timing is right, making someone’s day a little better. (The Red Sox lost but that’s not the point. These guys won!)
Awesome costumes for awesome kids
Stop. We can’t handle this. TOO MUCH CUTENESS. Target just rolled out a pair of costumes for kids in wheelchairs and…they’re genius? Granted, kids and adults alike have been dreaming up crazy cool wheelchair getups forever, but to have a major chain stock them is a great move. In addition to the pirate and princess on wheels costumes, Target is also stocking two costumes for children with sensory issues: a shark and a unicorn. The sensory adapted costumes don’t have tags or other additions that kids with sensory processing disorders might find bothersome. We want more! How about a spaceship or a dragon? Very trendy. Every child (and child at heart) should get the chance to be a Halloween show-stopper.
Six (literal) helping hands
Ugh, teen boys are the WORST. They’re always shoveling snow for their neighbors or running cross country to support veterans or literally saving an elderly lady from a house fire (all real thing’s we’ve covered in The Good Stuff, btw). And now, we have these three young men from Fonthill, Ontario who pushed a stranded stranger’s car five miles to her home. The woman’s car had broken down and she couldn’t afford a tow truck, so the trio grabbed some bottles of water and a speaker to get some tunes going, and started pushing. Another person who had stopped to help drove behind them with his headlights on for safety. It took them a few hours because of hills, battery problems and the fact that, you know, a car weighs thousands of pounds, but they did it! The man who drove behind them posted an account of the evening on Facebook, and it obviously blew up. “When something [positive] like this happens, it becomes contagious,” he said. “Everyone has had car problems and can relate.”
(Oh also, to our Canadian readers who keep emailing asking for more stories out of Canada, this one’s dedicated to you!)
Raise a glass to…
Darla Jaye, a cancer survivor – wait, make that cancer CRUSHER – who was so happy when she got to ring the “cancer free” bell at her hospital she straight up broke it. Jaye rang the bell at Harris Health System in Houston, Texas after completing her last round of radiation for breast cancer, and she gave it such a strong go the clapper fell right off. Good! That’s a Big Cancer-Free Mood and we’re here for it.
A bright idea
OK, so hear us out: Smart…diapers. Yes, this is actually a thing coming to the US soon. The Lumi by Pampers line includes an on-diaper sensor that connects to an app to let parents know when their precious little baby has made a precious little number one. It sounds bizarre, but the app also allows parents to keep track of when baby goes, which could actually be really helpful since pediatricians often advise new parents to monitor how often newborns go to the bathroom. Isn’t technology grand?
You gotta see this
Two penguins walk into a sushi shop – hurr hurr, but really! Two little blue penguins with very refined palates somehow got into Sushi Bi restaurant in Wellington, New Zealand. They were respectfully removed by police, who returned them to Wellington Harbor only a few blocks away. But, their cravings were clearly not sated. The birds returned to the restaurant the next day, and authorities think they were trying to nest there. Now the little loiterers have been safely moved to a nesting box, and the NZ Department of Conservation put out a charming announcement noting the pair “seemed to like” their new digs and “were making cooing noises, which is a good sign.”
Wanna get away?
It was so hard to pick just one photo of these absolutely stunning cavescapes in Vietnam. This otherworldly view (note the person in the middle for scale) is from Hang Tien, or the Cave of Fairies, named for the enchanting rock formations and magical swirling patterns on the limestone walls. Other cave experiences in the lush country will take you through green edens and glowing waters. One cave, Son Doong, is said to be the biggest cave in the world at 1.35 billion cubic feet, and it even has its own jungle growing inside.
Who knew?
Sometimes, planets will kick moons out of their orbits and send them on their way. These exomoons (moons outside of our solar system) could be the reason behind some peculiar astronomical phenomena, and the scientists searching for such rogue moons have dubbed them…..
……
ploonets.
PLOONETS.
That is all.
Tell us something good
Naperville, Illinois
What kind of jerks steal money from a lemonade stand? In late June, 11-year-old Alizay Kashif made $9 from a lemonade stand she set up in her neighborhood, but a group of teens came by and took the cash from her. Her father posted about it on the neighborhood site NextDoor, and people jumped into action: One woman suggested Alizay set up shop on the corner of her property, which was more trafficked. Others around the neighborhood made plans to show up. And then, the best part: members of the Naperville PD pulled up to keep watch, and officers ended up donating $170 to her haul. All in all, Alizay and her sister made more than $350, which they’re donating to food bank network Feed America.
Shameless animal video
There’s always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.
That penguin sushi story reminded me of one of the most blessed animal videos in the history of the internet, Cookie the Penguin. This is some vintage stuff. If you haven’t seen it, turn up the volume and enjoy. If you have, it’s as good the 3,000th time around as it is the first (trust me, I know).