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Anonymous Love Letters Lift the Spirits of Anyone Signed Up On This Website

By
Sheila Key
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More Love Letters 2 Copyright TiffanyFarley
Photos copyright of Tiffany Farley, used with permission

You know that little lift you feel when you open your mailbox and find a personal letter among the bills and junk mail?

Imagine finding not one cheerful note, but dozens of anonymous, hand-written envelopes filled with words of encouragement.

Such joy was the vision of Hannah Brencher, who started the More Love Letters movement after navigating the ups and downs of her 20-something life, just out of college, living in New York City and struggling with depression.

Hannah_Brencher submitted

Desperate for a solution, she started filling notebooks with the words she herself most needed to hear, then tearing out these “love letters” and leaving them around the city—on buses, at the library, in clothing store coat pockets—for strangers to find.

“I published a simple question on my blog: ‘Do you need someone to write you a love letter today?’ and my inbox filled up with heartbreaking stories,” Brencher told Good News Network. “That one question changed my life forever as I spent the next year writing hundreds of love letters to strangers in all parts of the world.”

Soon after, she created a website-based organization that launches letter-writing campaigns to support individuals who need a little uplifting TLC. Random letters of kindness in communities are also encouraged.

RELATED: City Gives Trees Email Addresses So Folks Can Report Problems, But They Send Love Letters Instead

Anyone can post a request for letters on behalf of someone they know, and the site posts new batches of requests weekly and invites visitors to respond to any or all of them. Each request includes a deadline for participation, after which volunteers bundle up all the submitted letters and deliver them—surprise!—to the recipient.

More Love Letters 1 Copyright TiffanyFarley

With a community of 42,000 on Facebook, the organization has collectively mailed more than 250,000 letters to people in need since its inception in 2011. Brencher herself has been known to spur 500 letter writers to join her in responding to a specific request.

More Love Letters is not to be mistaken for a pen pal program—writers are instructed not to include personal contact information. Brencher believes the connection forged briefly and indelibly through a single letter, even an anonymous one, benefits the individuals on both ends of the exchange.

“I always hope someone will feel loved, valued, and not so alone when they pick up a letter,” Brencher, who resides in Atlanta, Georgia, said in an email. “But the letter writing can be just as much about the person who is writing. It’s about finding those words that you need to hear yourself and passing them on.”

If You Don’t Have Time To Send A Love Letter, Be Sure And Share This Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Videos Capture Penguins Going On Adorable ‘Field Trip’ Around Their Aquarium During Shutdowns

By
McKinley Corbley
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Cute animal videos may not necessarily be a cure-all for everything, but this particular set of Twitter posts has been helping to relieve some of the stress of the COVID-19 shutdowns.

Although the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has been closed to the general public amidst nationwide quarantines, the facility’s animal caretakers took advantage of their closure by taking some of their resident rockhopper penguins for a little field trip.

RELATED: Watch the Adorable Moment a Little Girl in Star Wars Costume Gets to Meet Her Hero BB-8 Droid in Real Life

In a series of videos that have already been viewed several million times since they were uploaded earlier this week, several of the aquarium’s penguins were given the opportunity to explore the public areas of the facility—and they seemed pretty amused by the adventure.

“While this may be a strange time for us, these days feel normal for animals at Shedd,” the aquarium wrote on Twitter.

“Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals, introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviors.

 

Since the Shedd staffers will be continuing to care for the penguins during the aquarium’s closure, their Twitter account has now become a welcomed source of cute animal pictures—and it is the perfect remedy for quarantine-induced social media stress.

“Our caregivers are constantly providing new experiences for the animals to explore and express their natural behaviors with [so] let us know what penguin activities you would like to see!”

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Great Things to Do at Home While Quarantined: Let’s Be Pandemic-Positive

By
Good News Network
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As more and more people bar themselves inside their homes amidst the COVID-19 shutdowns, it may be tempting to keep your eyes fixed on the TV or social media news feeds. You might try and keep yourself informed by reading every quarantine update that pops up on your phone—but worrying yourself can be like sitting in a rocking chair: it can give you something to do, but it doesn’t necessarily get you anywhere.

That’s why we’re encouraging our readers to use this time as a gift. Take this rare opportunity and turn the isolation to your advantage; because the world is improved when its occupants are inspired and motivated, rather than anxious and overwhelmed.

First thing you can do is, sign up to receive 3 good news headlines every Monday-Friday in your Inbox, with our Morning Jolt email.

Now, here are 16 tips on how to face this pandemic with positivity and productivity.

1) TAKE THAT COURSE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO TAKE: There are hundreds of Ivy League courses from schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, that you can take online for free. From Art & Design and Business to Social Sciences, Engineering or Medicine, you are sure to find something to broaden your horizons and fire those sleepy synapsis.

2) COLOR THESE PRINTABLE PAGES: Get out the color pencils and markers because Just Color has some fabulous free downloadable coloring pages on topics like travel, art, nature, and history.

3) ENJOY MUSEUMS: Google Arts and Culture has partnered with more than 2,500 museums and galleries around the world in order to offer virtual tours and online displays of their collections to internet surfers (and if you screenshare with a friend, it’s like you’re touring the museum together!) You can also use the “Send Me Art” texting service courtesy of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

4) READ A BOOK: Not to brag, but our recently-published book “And Now, The Good News” is a great gift for news junkies…

5) ORGANIZE SMALL AREAS: Clean out and organize your junk door—it will feel like a huge accomplishment.

6) CLEAN YOUR SCREENS: Remove smudges and grime from your screens and keyboards.

7) TALK ON THE PHONE: Now that everyone is focused on social distancing and isolation, you can take some time to recharge old friendships by dropping them a line.

8) DO THE ONCE-A-YEAR JOBS: Flip over and rotate your mattress so you can sleep better; purge your phone of bad photos and contacts you don’t want anymore; dust the bookshelf; clean out your clothes closet and load up a giveaway bag.

9) MAKE A PANDEMIC PLAYLIST: feel-good songs only.

10) FOCUS ON SELF CARE: You now have more time to sit quietly and meditate. Do some stretches in the morning. Soak in a tub with some candles. Scrub your feet. Do a facial masque if you have some on hand. Bring flowers in the house. Use your good china and table clothes to eat a homemade dinner with some soft music playing—and remember to drink plenty of water, especially after the wine.

11) TRY A NEW RECIPE: Make something you “never have time” to cook (Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura is posting free cooking lessons to his Instagram account.)

12) SEW THOSE BUTTONS OR SMALL HOLES: Yeah, remember that hole that was left after you ripped the tag off your shirt? Repair it in 15 minutes with some needle and thread.

13) TAKE VITAMINS: People deficient in Vitamin D (and, most of us are) who start taking the supplement every day (400iu/40mcg), can get a 70% reduced risk of contracting any viral (or bacterial) respiratory disease. This is based on a rigorous scientific double blind, placebo study of 10,000 people. If you don’t get enough sunshine, take Vitamin D pills, or eat foods like tuna and egg yolks (watch this intriguing YouTube lecture to learn more).

14) DO SOME PUZZLES: traditional puzzles like crosswords and jigsaws can be wonderfully beneficial for your cognitive health. You can also play online trivia games that benefit good causes for every answer you get correct, such as helping to pay off other people’s student loans or planting trees around the world.

15) WRITE A GOOD OL’-FASHIONED LETTER: There is no limit to just how many different kinds of heartfelt letters you can write to anyone—or anything.

16) LEARN AN INSTRUMENT (BONUS TIP FROM GNN EDITOR): In addition to working for GNN, McKinley also works as a part-time music teacher and staffer at the House of Musical Traditions in Washington DC. Since the local foot traffic has died down, the online shop is offering free shipping on everything—from accordions and balalaikas to guitars and ukuleles. So if you have ever dreamt of picking up an instrument, this is the perfect time to fulfill that dream while also helping out a local business—plus, there is not an instrument under the sun that can’t be learned through YouTube videos.

Do you have any additional tips for using your quarantine time productively? Let us know in the comments below!

Be Sure And Share These Helpful Hints With Your Friends On Social Media — Feature photo by Good News Network

Charles Barkley is Auctioning Off His Award ‘Clutter’ to Fund Affordable Housing in His Hometown

By
McKinley Corbley
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Charles Barkley - CC 3.0. Ytoyoda via Wikipedia Commons

Charles Barkley has won a number of trophies and medals over the course of his career as one of the most prolific basketball players of all time—but he recently admitted that he doesn’t care very much for the treasures.

In fact, he plans on selling all of his NBA memorabilia in order to build 20 affordable houses in his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.

Barkley had been a guest on the Dan Le Betard Show earlier this month when he revealed his plans for auctioning off his Olympic gold medals and NBA MVP award.

“I don’t think I have to walk around with my gold medal or my MVP trophy for people to know I’m Charles Barkley, so I’m going to sell all that crap,” Barkley told the radio hosts. “It just clutters my house.”

RELATED: Passing at Age 103, Actor Kirk Douglas Gives Away Entire $61 Million Dollar Fortune to Charities

Although he gave his daughter special permission to keep one of his gold medals, Barkley will be working with the Panini sports card company to auction all of his valuable memorabilia.

This is not the first time that Barkley has made national headlines for his philanthropy—the retired NBA star has made several million dollar donations to a number of historic black colleges over the course of the last few years. Now, however, he wants to give back to his hometown.

“I want to do something really nice for Leeds. And if I could build 10 to 20 affordable houses—I want to do green housing too—(and) if I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me,” he told WJOX 94.5.

(LISTEN to the interview below) – Feature photo by Ytoyoda, CC

Score Big With Your Friends By Sharing The Sweet Story To Social Media…

“Dreams become reality when we put our minds to it.” – Queen Latifah (Happy 50th Birthday)

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Dreams become reality when we put our minds to it.” – Queen Latifah (Happy 50th Birthday today)

Photo: by Marcos Paulo Prado – public domain

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day By Watching Adorable Toddler Join Irish Woman for Dance in the Street

By
Good News Network
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Since the COVID-19 shutdowns may have shut down the majority of our beloved St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, we are celebrating the Irish holiday by taking inspiration from this adorable dynamic duo.

In an adorable video clip that was published by Galway Now Magazine back in 2016, a woman can be seen tap dancing in the street for tips when she is suddenly joined by a pint-sized fan.

The inquisitive toddler takes a few tentative steps forward from the sidelines to watch the dancer’s moves before enthusiastically joining in—and although the little girl’s motor control doesn’t seem advanced enough to keep up with her counterpart, the resulting jig might be the cutest thing you’ll see today.

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share The Luck Of The Irish With Your Friends By Sharing This Sweet Video To Social Media…

You Can Now Tour 2,500 World-Famous Museums From the Comfort of Your Own Sofa

By
McKinley Corbley
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If you have suddenly found yourself confined to your home during the COVID-19 shutdowns, Google has launched an ingenious new service that allows art lovers to get their culture fix from the comfort of their own home.

Google Arts and Culture has partnered with more than 2,500 museums and galleries around the world in order to offer virtual tours and online displays of their collections to internet surfers.

The “tours” allow users to wander through the interiors of the world’s most famous museums similarly to the Google Street View feature. Users can also download Google’s free Arts and Culture iOS or Android app for a much more immersive museum experience.

In addition to offering the tours, many of the museums are also offering up detailed online collections of their masterpieces just in case you want to get up close and personal with one of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits.

LOOK: ‘Text Me Any Masterpiece’—Send Museum a Topic and You’ll Get Corresponding Artwork in Response

The tech company has partnered with such prestigious institutions as the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York—just to name a few from Google’s top ten shortlist.

If you’re still looking to get an artistic fix from your smartphone, you can also use the “Send Me SFMOMA” texting service from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The service allows you to request an artwork of a specific topic right through your phone. For instance, if you text “Send me beaches” or “Send me New York City”, a bot will search the museum’s digitized collection of almost 35,000 works for a masterpiece related to your topic. To learn more, click here.

Send This Engaging News Over To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media…

‘Unbelievable Act of Kindness’: Customer Left $2,500 Tip for Restaurant Staffers Before They Closed Up Shop

By
McKinley Corbley
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A team of restaurant servers was left crying tears of joy after they discovered one of their patrons had left them a massive tip prior to their closure amidst COVID-19 shutdowns.

The Coaches Bar and Grill in Columbus, Ohio had been preparing to close up shop on Sunday evening after Gov. Mike DeWine ordered all restaurants and bars to limit their services to delivery and carryout options as a means of limiting potential infections.

Despite how Coaches restaurant owner Benny Leonard says the order may prove to be a cause for concern in his business, he and his staffers were particularly heartened by a note that was left by one of their regular customers.

LOOK: 18-Year-Old Drove 225 Miles to Make Pizzeria’s First and Only Delivery After Receiving Special Phone Call

The patron, a middle-aged man who insisted on remaining anonymous, left a $2,500 tip on a bill totaling just $29.75.

In addition to requesting his identity remain a secret, he also asked for the hefty gratuity to be divided equally amongst the restaurant’s five servers.

“(There were) tears, tears of joy,” Leonard told WNBS. “An unbelievable act of kindness on a pretty weird day.”

Serve Up This Sweet Story To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media…

10 Positive Updates on the COVID-19 Outbreaks From Around the World

By
McKinley Corbley
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File photo by Pan American Health Organization, CC

If it seems that your news feed has been flooded with nerve-wracking updates on the COVID-19 outbreaks, have no fear—there are also plenty of positive updates on the pandemic as well.

So without any further ado, here is a list of 10 hopeful headlines on the coronavirus response from around the world.

File photo by Pan American Health Organization, CC

1) US Researchers Deliver First COVID-19 Vaccine to Volunteers in Experimental Test Program

Scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle delivered the first rounds of a potential coronavirus vaccine to several dozen optimistic volunteers earlier this week.

One 43-year-old vaccine recipient is Jennifer Haller, who is a mother to two teenagers.

She was all smiles afterward, telling AP reporters she was “feeling great” as she was leaving the clinic.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me to do something,” she added.

2) Distilleries Across the United States Are Making Their Own Hand Sanitizers to Give Away for Free

Amidst national shortages of hand sanitizers, alcohol distilleries in Atlanta, Portland, rural Georgia, and North Carolina have begun using their facilities to make their own sanitation products.

 

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) says that cleaning your hands with an alcohol-based rub can help to kill viruses on your hands, many of the distilleries say they hope to continue producing their bootleg sanitizers until the virus has been properly contained.

3) Air Pollution Plummets in Cities With High Rates of Quarantine

Satellite readings of air pollution levels over China and Italy show that the regions hit hardest by the COVID-19 have also caused air pollution levels to decline dramatically.

Photo by NASA

Some reports estimate that China’s quarantine has saved more than 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere—which is about the equivalent of what Chile produces in a year.

Not only have similar effects been reported across Italy, the canals and waterways of Venice are reportedly cleaner than ever with the waters shining crystal clear in the absence of diesel-powered boats and gondoliers.

4) Johns Hopkins Researcher Says That Antibodies From Recovered COVID Patients Could Help Protect People At Risk

The vaccine being tested in Seattle isn’t the only potential treatment for the disease—an immunologist from Johns Hopkins University is reviving a century-old blood-derived treatment for use in the United States in hopes of slowing the spread of the disease.

The technique uses antibodies from the blood plasma or serum of people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection to boost the immunity of newly-infected patients and those at risk of contracting the disease.

5) South Korean Outbreak Finally Abating as Recoveries Outnumber New Infections for Three Days in a Row

File photo by Valentin Janiaut, CC

According to Reuters, South Korea recorded more COVID-19 recovery cases on March 6th than new infections for the first time since the nation experienced the largest Asian outbreak outside of China.

Since the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported in South Korea back in January, the nation reached a peak of 909 new infections on February 29th. Now, however, Reuters reports that the declining rate of infection has continued to fall with less than 100 new cases reported for several days in a row.

6) China Celebrates Several Milestones of Recovery After Temporary Hospitals Close and Parks Reopen

Crowds of medical staffers and discharged patients were filmed celebrating the closure of all 14 temporary hospitals that opened in Wuhan to treat COVID-19 patients during the worst of the outbreak.

Authorities told the South China Morning Post this week that the virus had finally passed its peak as the nation’s mainland experienced only 11 new cases on March 13th, most of which were from international travelers.

As the outbreak is finally brought under control, parks and tourist attractions are slowly beginning to reopen to the public under careful moderation.

7) Australian Researchers Testing Two Drugs as Potential ‘Cures’ for the Virus

Professor David Paterson, director of the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research and infectious disease physician at the RBWH.

At the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, scientists have found that two different medications—both of which are registered and available in Australia—have completely wiped out traces of the disease in test tubes.

Not only that, the drugs were given to some of the nation’s first COVID-19 patients, which resulted in “disappearance of the virus and complete recovery from the infection,” researchers told News.com.au.

The university is now looking to conduct a nationwide trial with the drugs to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of each drug administered separately and together.

8) Uber Eats is Supporting the North American Restaurant Industry By Waiving Delivery Fees for 100,000 Restaurants

As restaurants across Canada and the United States are forced to temporarily shut down amidst COVID-19 outbreaks, Uber Eats has announced that they will be waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants.

“We know the success of every restaurant depends on customer demand,” the company said in a statement. “That’s why we’re working urgently to drive orders towards independent restaurants on Eats, to help make up for the significant slowdown of in-restaurant dining.

NEW Podcast: Daily Inspiring Covid-19 Updates from Good News Gurus Under Quarantine

“As more customers are choosing to stay indoors, we’ve waived the Delivery Fee for the more than 100,000 independent restaurants across US and Canada on Uber Eats. We will also launch daily dedicated, targeted marketing campaigns—both in-app and via email—to promote delivery from local restaurants, especially those that are new to the app.”

9) Dutch and Canadian Researchers Are Reporting Additional Breakthrough Research on Treating the Virus

Photo by Sunnybrook University

Scientists from Canada and the Netherlands have also made medical breakthroughs of their own. In Toronto, a team of researchers managed to isolate the agent responsible for the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, which will help researchers around the world develop better diagnostic testing, treatments, and vaccines.

“Researchers from these world-class institutions came together in a grassroots way to successfully isolate the virus in just a few short weeks,” said Dr. Rob Kozak, clinical microbiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “It demonstrates the amazing things that can happen when we collaborate.”

Meanwhile, Dutch researchers have submitted a scientific paper for publishing on how they have identified an anti-body for the virus—and it could be a world-first.

10) Here Are a Bunch of Other Ways That People and Businesses Are Supporting Each Other Throughout the US Outbreak

File photo by Martha Heinemann, CC

Dollar General has announced that they will be devoting their opening hour of shopping time to elderly customers. Athletes and sports teams are pledging to pay the wages of arena employees during the shutdown. Utility companies, landlords, automakers, and internet providers are waiving a number of late fees and payments to ease the financial burden of the shutdown. School districts across the country are still opening their doors to serve meals to kids and families.

All in all, the pandemic situation may seem grim, but these are just a few examples of how businesses and individuals are still looking out for each other during times of trouble.

NEW Podcast: Daily Inspiring Covid-19 Updates from Good News Gurus Under Quarantine

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Chef Andrés Turns Michelin-Starred Restaurants into Kitchens Serving Take-Out Food to Anyone Who Needs It

By
McKinley Corbley
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For years, Chef José Andrés and his charity have been praised for feeding the world’s most vulnerable people—and now, he is turning his own 5-star restaurants into food kitchens for families who may be having trouble making ends meet during the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Although Andrés announced that this restaurants will be closed to the general public until further notice, the celebrity chef did say that eight of his acclaimed Washington D.C. and New York City locations would still be serving gourmet food to out-of-work families and struggling workers.

The soup kitchen employees will be asking for $7 per to-go meal, but for “those who cannot afford to pay, we will welcome as well,” Andrés added in a statement.

RELATED: Corner Store Owner Gives Away More Than $6,000 in Free Goods to Seniors Preparing for Quarantines

The makeshift soup kitchens will begin serving takeout meals starting today between noon and 5PM. Furthermore, all of his employees will be getting paid time off for the first two weeks.

Andrés’s charity, World Central Kitchen, has also been serving up meals to people affected by the coronavirus, including the quarantined cruise ship passengers and staffers aboard the Grand Princess.

From Little Rock, Arkansas to San Francisco, the charity has already served up several thousand meals to students and families amidst school closures.

Pass On The Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…

“People glorify all sorts of bravery except the bravery they might show on behalf of their nearest neighbors.” – George Eliot

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “People glorify all sorts of bravery except the bravery they might show on behalf of their nearest neighbors.” – George Eliot

Photo: by Christian Stahl – public domain

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

NEW ‘Good News’ Podcast Launched to Get You Through Troubling Times (Episode 1)

By
Good News Network
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Listen and Subscribe to Episodes on iTunes—or Spotify, here — or, on Podbean…

We’ve done 94 episodes of The Good News Gurus podcast, but most of them were short 2-3 minute stories broadcast on the KOST radio in Los Angeles with me (the founder of GNN, Geri) calling in on the phone It was great to interact with Ellen K. and the gang, but after the coronavirus hit, KOST cancelled the show indefinitely because they shut down their LA studios.

So, GNN co-owner Anthony and I put on our headphones and recorded a new show on Friday the 13th, talking about how to stay positive in the midst of the virus, how whales are our best allies in the climate fight, how a politician turned things around with compassion after getting racist tweets, and how Congo kicked Ebola to the curb—and other good news. Note: We’ve already perfected the audio and mic placement in episode 2!

We ended the show with a good news ‘Lightning Round’—and called on fans to chime in on future shows. So give a listen to our debut show. And, don’t forget to rate and review our show.

Listen and Subscribe to Episodes on iTunes—or Spotify, here — or, on Podbean…

SHARE With Your Friends Who May Need a Positive Jolt…

How to Follow Negative News Without Getting Depressed

By
davidhrostoski
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We live in a world where controversy and atrocity gets more views than uplifting stories. Because of that, our top media outlets have been incentivized to publish the most triggering aspects of society.

For a long time, I strayed away from the news. Not because I didn’t want to be informed—I did. I just really couldn’t stand waking up every day to the worst aspects of the world.

Recently, though, I decided to dive back in head-first and start publishing a 10 minute daily news segment on my podcast.

I wanted to offer an alternative dialogue—not just by sharing uplifting stories, but by also going head-first into current events and still coming out with inspiring and empowering perspectives.

RELATED: How the Animals All Around You Can Help You Love Your Life

I won’t lie. It was a big challenge, and for the first couple of weeks, I was feeling extremely heavy and drained. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue with the show, and was close to giving up on the project.

But I was entirely committed to not only be capable of being with the world myself, but to share that capability with the larger spiritual and conscious community. So I kept going.

Around Week 3, I sat in meditation and had a huge realization: “It’s not NEW. It’s AWARENESS.”

That one idea shifted everything for me.

MORE: 10 Things I Wish I Would Have Told My Kids

Let me back up a bit, and I’ll explain what that means and why this was such a huge shift for me. Back in college, when I used to watch, read, or listen to the news, I’d be overcome with sadness at the state of the world. I’d think, “How could this be happening? We should be further along than this.”

But recently, with further reflection on ideas like, “All suffering is simply arguing with reality,” I decided to attempt to re-enter the news with that perspective. I hoped to stay empowered and full by setting the intention of complete acceptance of all of it.

If everything in the news is truly a part of the world we live in, I saw an opportunity to increase my capacity to be with that reality—and accept it.

LOOK: 27-Year-old With Terminal Cancer Pens Heartfelt Letter on Why You Should Change Your Life

That’s where I began the journey, but as I mentioned, after just a couple of weeks, I was already feeling drained and having trouble finding that place of acceptance.

Then came this idea in meditation: “The news isn’t new. It’s awareness.”

That’s when it all clicked into place.

I had trouble accepting the news when I believed it was all happening suddenly out of nowhere. I unconsciously believed something like, “Everything was great, but now there’s this atrocity that’s happening! Can I do anything about it? Maybe…”

But with the recognition that the current state of the world exists, regardless of if I know about it or not, I found a little pocket of peace I didn’t know was possible.

CHECK OUT: How to Feel Healthy and Less Lonely by Spending Time Alone

Here’s what changed:

Every news article I read became a sign of awareness to something already present. That little shift of perspective altered the way I viewed everything that came across my screen. And as many have come to see in the spiritual and transformational spaces… awareness is the first step to change.

When we understand a limiting belief or personal habit, we have the power to make changes and face it head-on. We can change it.

That means…

All the articles I was reading (even and especially those highlighting the worst aspects of the world) were actually signs that we were ready to shift and deal with these things as a collective.

RELATED: Meditation and Mindfulness Tips to Combat Everyday Worries and Life’s Big Questions

Huge scandals, the rejection of basic human rights, articles about climate change and nuclear threats—it was all ready to be seen in a new light. That’s why it was in the news.

I recognized how excited I got when something new arose within me to be seen, heard, and transmuted into a fresh, higher perspective. Why was looking at the world any different?

The news is awareness. It’s the global spotlight of awareness shining on everything that’s ready to be transmuted into a newer, higher truth. From that higher vantage point, there was nothing I couldn’t deal with.

I found myself happy to see attention drawn to challenging global crises, because I knew how many other people were seeing it too. I knew now, a window for change was opening.

MORE: What Mindfulness Has Taught Me About My Father’s Suicide

If we want to press deeper into unity and oneness, it takes including all aspects of our planet and collective in our healing process, including our darkest shadows.

That’s why the highlighting of really terrible aspects of our society is actually a really good thing.

I’m not going to say I’m 100% joyous in the face of challenging stories. But the more I lean in, especially with this perspective, the more I recognize my capacity to be with the world as it expands.

RELATED: The Amazing Tale of A Karmic Pact Fulfilled – I Got The Love I Finally Gave

It’s entirely possible to walk out of the news every day feeling uplifted and inspired from watching the global spotlight of awareness bringing light to the shadows every day.

So if you do decide to open up that News app, and start scrolling… Remember, it’s nothing new. The world is here, whether or not we report on it or see it.

Instead, these articles represent the very awareness that transmutes the shadows to the light. It’s not atrocity; it’s the awareness of atrocity.

Feel it?

It’s the truth about our global scene. Every day, every article, there’s more awareness, and a better global society for our future generations.

David Hrostoski is a channel and host of “The Highlight Real Podcast”, where he explores current events with perspectives that leave you informed and empowered every morning. He is a firm believer in whole-based perspectives and collective evolution through grounded spirituality. For more ideas like this one, find out how to listen to The Highlight Real podcast in your favorite app at Indivinus.

Share The Inspiring News With Your Friends – Photo by David Hrostoski

Corner Store Owner Gives Away More Than $6,000 in Free Goods to Seniors Preparing for Quarantines

By
Good News Network
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SWNS
SWNS

A Scottish convenience store has given away thousands of dollars in free toilet paper, antibacterial handwash, tissues, and anti-inflammatories to seniors staying home amidst novel coronavirus warnings.

Customers over the age of 65 and those with mobility issues facing self-isolation can either pick up the free goods at the Day-Today convenience store in Drylaw, Edinburgh or have the “coronavirus kits” delivered to their house for free by calling the shop.

34-year-old shop owner Zahid Iqbal has already given away more than 1,000 kits, and he says he hopes it “sets a good example” for other consumers and businesses as shop shelves have been left bare from panic-buying.

RELATED: Woman Starts Doing Grocery Runs for Older Neighbors to Reduce Their Exposure to the Coronavirus

Since each pack costs around £5 to make, Iqbal said the initiative has already cost his business a whopping £5,000 ($6,100) not including the cost of fuel for home deliveries.

He is also considering making food bags, with pasta and tinned goods, as panic buying leaves store shelves empty and supermarkets struggle to meet demand.

“We’ve given away more than a thousand now, that’s just over the weekend,” says Iqbal. “It’s a time when we need to stick together.”

SWNS

The idea came to Iqbal while accompanying his parents to a local supermarket, where they encountered a shocking number of empty shelves.

“We have lots of customers from the local care homes, as well as disabled customers, who can’t get hand sanitizers, loo rolls or anything at all.

LOOK: 18-Year-Old Drove 225 Miles to Make Pizzeria’s First and Only Delivery After Receiving Special Phone Call

“We just want to set a good example in this world.”

The family-run store, which currently employs five people, has served the local community for more than 15 years—and although they have received a flood of requests for the coronavirus kids, Iqbal believes his loyal customers are worth every penny during these times of uncertainty.

SWNS

“I had to get staff in to do deliveries, and petrol’s not included,” said Iqbal. “We’ve done quite a few deliveries to people who can’t get out and collecting. A lot of new people have been coming in showing appreciation as well and promising they’ll shop local in the future—lots of nice gestures.

“The appreciation we’ve been getting has been out of this world,” he added. “You couldn’t get this kind of satisfaction if you spent thousands of pounds, it’s amazing.”

WATCH: Toddler Rushes to Hug Pizza Deliveryman Without Knowing He Had Just Lost His Daughter

He said that the shop has been refusing to take donations for the kits, but Day-Today may reconsider accepting financial contributions in the future depending on how things turn out.

“Money can be made in the future,” said Iqbal. “You don’t want to make your money by putting your prices up in a situation like this—people will remember after all this is over.

SWNS

“Right now, we need to do our part for the community. I think it’s very important.

“I can feel how other people out there feel,” he added “We want to help out for as long as we can manage and everybody needs to be doing their bit.

“This week I was planning on doing food bags. “If we run out of toilet rolls, then the next thing we want to do is pasta. If there’s a lockdown, people need to be able to look after themselves.

“The satisfaction you get helping people out is just amazing,” he concluded.

SWNS

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Amidst School Closures, Japanese Students Host Their Own Fun-Filled Graduation Ceremony on Minecraft

By
McKinley Corbley
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This group of Japanese students is proving to the world that they will not be letting the novel coronavirus outbreaks ruin their fun.

Since Japanese schools have closed down in the face of COVID-19—and will likely remain closed until after spring vacation—this elementary school boy and his friends decided to host their own online graduation ceremony on Minecraft.

The graduation, which was captured in the video below, was hosted in an elaborate virtual auditorium complete with diplomas, speeches, music, and joyful festivities all around.

RELATED VIDEO: 9-Year-old Boy With Dyslexia Uses His ‘Superpower’ to Make John Cena Portrait Out of Rubik’s Cubes

 

The 12-year-old boy’s father later posted a series of videos and photos of the event to social media in hopes that it would serve as “bright news that shines in a gloomy social situation” and “open up the way games are perceived.”

“They spent all day online together playing games and laughing,” he wrote in his Twitter thread which has been shared thousands of times since it was published earlier this week. “I’m glad they all had fun.”

(WATCH the graduation below)

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Now Children With Autism or Sensory Issues Can Buy Vans Shoes Designed Exclusively For Them

By
McKinley Corbley
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Photos by Vans

Parents of children on the autism spectrum are rejoicing over this new line of shoes from Vans that have been designed specifically for kids with sensory issues.

As part of the brand’s Autism Awareness Collection, the eight pairs of shoes have been developed with a focus on soothing the senses through sound, touch, and appearance.

Since children with autism often have trouble tying shoelaces, the new line of sneakers is made up of slip-on models and shoes that can be fitted to the foot with a single strap hook-and-loop closure.

The shoes have even been designed with a soothing color palette in mind.

WATCH: High Schoolers Give ‘Amazing’ Silent Ovation for Classmate With Sensory Issues Receiving His Diploma

“Since 1966, Vans has stood as a champion of individuality and self-expression. The brand’s commitment continues with the release of sensory inclusive footwear designs as part of the Autism Awareness Collection,” said the company in a press release.

“To be more inclusive to common sensory sensitivities, Vans worked with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to create designs utilizing Vans ComfyCush technology for all day comfort and ease of wear for adults, kids and toddlers.”

The company has also pledged to donate a minimum of $100,000 in shoe sale proceeds to the A.Skate Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to teaching children with autism how to skateboard.

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Watch Quarantined Italians Join Together and Sing From Their Balconies to Lift Community Spirits

By
McKinley Corbley
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As more than 60 million Italian citizens are forced to wait out the nation’s COVID-19 outbreak from behind their closed doors, entire neighborhoods and communities are taking to their balconies to lift each other’s spirits with song.

From Salerno and Naples in the south to Turin and Palermo in the north, quarantined Italians have been filmed singing songs and playing instruments with each other from the windows of their homes.

Some of the Italians have led their neighbors through rousing renditions of Puccini opera solos; others have joined together for some triumphant soccer chants; and still others were filmed singing the national anthem.

The spontaneous singalongs even spurred Italian musicians to bring their instruments to the window, from harps and guitars to pots and pans.

Regardless of the musical content, the trend has served as a much-needed morale boost for quarantined citizens across the country.

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“It is easy to believe we are each waves and forget we are also the ocean.” – Jon J. Muth

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “It is easy to believe we are each waves and forget we are also the ocean.” – Jon J. Muth, Zen Happiness

Photo: by Nigel Tadyanehondo – public domain

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Prawns into Plastic: Ingenious Australian Teen Turns Shrimp Shells into Biodegradable Plastic Wrap

By
Andy Corbley
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“Prawn shells look like plastic,” pondered this Australian teen after dinner one night.

It had been a long, hard day of researching and trying to come up with biodegradable alternatives to plastic—including a banana peel solution and corn starch that didn’t pan out.

“That was when I realized that that dinner could have been my Eureka moment,” Angelina Arora told news.com.au.

The Adelaide inventor used the inspiration to create a bioplastic made from prawn shells that completely degrades within about 33 days in a landfill.

The material, which the 17 year-old says is receiving very positive responses from manufacturers and interested companies, is flexible, durable, insoluble, and transparent, making it the perfect alternative for common plastic packaging.

RELATED: World’s First Disposable Diaper Company That Collects Dirty Ones For Composting

“I’m still finalizing the legal aspects like patenting for example, however I am at the stage where I have produced a final prototype and would be ready to manufacture the plastic to distribute it commercially,” she said.

Furthermore, like many other seafood waste products like oyster shells, prawn exoskeletons are rich in nitrogen – the most important ingredient in plant fertilizers. This makes her material especially useful to farmers and agriculturalists, as it would degrade quite normally in fields or compost pits, while providing their crops with the nitrogen needed to maximize plant nutrients and immunity.

MORE: Supermarket Praised for Replacing Plastic Produce Packaging With Banana Leaves

The remarkable innovation earned Angelina the BHP Science and Engineering Award, and last year she was named the Australian Geographic Society’s Young Conservationist of the Year.

Photos from Angelina Arora

A student of medicine, Arora also hopes to adapt her bioplastic for use as packaging for medical supplies.

Throw This Story on the Nearest Social Media Feed and Cook Up Some Hope!

Breakthrough Solar System Uses Recycled Aluminum to Store Energy—Without Batteries

By
Andy Corbley
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A new renewable energy startup company has come up with a low-cost, zero-emissions solution to the thorny issue surrounding what happens when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

Paradoxically, the more the world embraces clean energy like solar and wind, the more it must embrace something markedly less-clean—diesel fuel or batteries.

In a building cut-off from a reliable grid powered by fossil fuel, diesel generators might be used to cover the hours of darkness when solar panels cease providing electricity. An alternative to this is to store the energy generated from the sun during the day in batteries, but along with representing a serious recycling problem, batteries require rare-earth minerals that are obtained from environmentally-destructive mining operations.

“Batteries are very expensive to store power for a 24 hour period,” says Jonas Eklind, CEO of Azelio, the Swedish energy startup that has potentially solved this problem for good. “If you want to store a lot of renewable energy, the most cost efficient way of storing this is thermal energy.”

In the always forward-thinking countries of Scandinavia, Azelio adapted an old Volvo assembly line factory to manufacture their patented, industry-first thermal energy storage system that will allow people to keep the energy that their standard PV solar panels generate during the day so they can use it in evenings.

And, instead of the critical energy storage component using rare and expensive minerals, the Azelio system uses recycled aluminum, which emits nothing, is much cheaper than lithium, and—as Jonas joked during an interview with GNN—“only lasts 62,000 years.”

Molten Aluminum can Save the Earth

The former CEO of a battery company, Jonas helped start this remarkable energy storage project in 2016 when he came onboard, around the same time Azelio was looking into thermal storage technology.

LOOK: New Power Plant Doubles as a Ski Slope and Climbing Wall (and Turns Waste into Energy)

“When we started the project, we had a conversion unit that converts high temperatures into electricity,” he said. This device was called a Stirling Generator, and at first they would use biogas from landfills, water purification units—or from manure in a combustion engine to generate electricity—but after running numerous computer simulations on cost and energy capacity, determined that aluminum was the best choice.

Photons absorbed by solar panels on your roof enter into the system where an aluminum alloy is heated so it moves from a solid to a liquid. This allows for the storage of an incredibly dense amount of energy within the material which can be sent as heat into the Stirling Generator and turned into electricity on demand, with zero emissions and at a lower cost.

This is in direct contrast to fossil fuels, uranium rods or pellets, or diesel fuel, because the energy in the aluminum can constantly be melted and hardened again to produce or store energy.

With its high energy density, the material has the ability to store energy for an extended period of time, while the aluminum suffers no degradation in capacity over time.

CHECK OUT: Working in Secret, Bill Gates-Backed Solar Company Reveals Tech That Could Spell the End of Fossil Fuels

Versatile yet Stable

The technology would prove to be ideal in parts of the world where grid reliability is low, like in Southern Africa where Jonas estimates that people only have access to a stable power grid 45% of the time.

Azelio’s thermal storage would allow for people to implement solar into a community, an industry, or just their homes, to defend against failing or unreliable grids, which Jonas says is becoming more and more normal even in the developed world. In his home country of Sweden, during the long winter, trees knock out power all the time, forcing rural communities to switch to diesel generators or similar interventions—sometimes for weeks.

WATCH: After 5 Years of Drought, Kenyan Region Finally Gets Clean Water Thanks to Solar-Powered Saltwater Plant

“Our system can give you decentralized power based on solar and wind so you can build a local micro-grid that provides you with almost everything you need 24 hours a day,” said Jonas.

And one of the really exceptional things about Azelio’s system is that, in theory, it’s as scalable as necessary; from 100 kilowatts per-hour, up to 100 megawatts per-hour, and more. Though it is maximized for solar power, it can easily work the same way for tidal or hydropower, biofuels, and wind.

Most city or town grids are split up into multiple components that feed off of, support, and borrow from one another to remain stable. Like normal solar power that utilizes energy from from the sun and sells the excess into the grid before later buying back from the grid at nighttime, Azelio’s thermal storage can fit into the baseload power of a modern established grid as much or as little as is required—whether that’s 10% of total power needs or 90%.

Azelio technology is inaugurated at the Noor solar power plant in Morroco, March 5, 2020

LOOK: Three-Story ‘Water Battery’ Has Already Slashed University’s Electrical Costs By 40% in One Month

Azelio is conducting three verification tests this year—first, in their home country of Sweden, and two others in partnership with renewable energy companies. On March 5th, they inaugurated their thermal storage technology at the massive Noor solar power complex in Morocco, teaming up with Masen, and later this year, they will launch in Abu Dhabi with Masdar. In addition to these, Azelio has received various customer enquiries of a potential value in excess of 16 billion euro, including one customer in California who wants the system both for wind and solar energy.

“In 2025, with what we have promised to the market for the cost of electricity coming out of the system, we can possibly compete with large scale installations where we need to power a whole city.”

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