The Optimist: School staff saw a custodian was walking to work. They pitched in and bought him a car.

The pandemic has been hard on friendships. Here's how to reconnect.; A girl with cancer was hospitalized for months. Now healthy and in college, she can see her old hospital room from her dorm.; The completely correct guide to a perfectly cliche fall getaway ; MacArthur 'genius grants' go to a prisoner advocate, a computational virologist, an antiracism author, 22 others; Fat Bear Week is here. Here's how to celebrate, according to huge fans.; A latecomer to the #vanlife party takes a 4,000-mile road trip in a pop-up camper; The lasting testament of Jane Alexander; Farmers and residents turned this vacant lot into an urban farm. Now it's heralded for its innovation.; Melvin Van Peebles was my father, too ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Stories that inspire.     (Erin Pringle) School staff saw a custodian was walking to work. They pitched in and bought him a car. "Chris is very personable, but he's also very private..." said the school principal. "But once we knew, everyone wanted to help." By Cathy Free ●  Read more »   The pandemic has been hard on friendships. Here's how to reconnect. Give yourself time to warm up to socializing, be choosy in whom you pick, find shared routines, and other strategies to make the most out of friendships. By Allie Volpe ●  Read more »   A girl with cancer was hospitalized for months. Now healthy and in college, she can see her old hospital room from her dorm. "Tears of joy," her dad wrote on Twitter. "Thank you NHS." By Sydney Page ●  Read more »   The completely correct guide to a perfectly cliche fall getaway Throw on a sweater, pick some apples and embrace the most underrated travel season. Perspective ●  By Natalie B. Compton ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   MacArthur 'genius grants' go to a prisoner advocate, a computational virologist, an antiracism author, 22 others Author Ibram X. Kendi, poet Reginald Dwayne Betts and virologist Trevor Bedford are among the 2021 MacArthur grant winners. By Ellen McCarthy ●  Read more »   Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app   Fat Bear Week is here. Here's how to celebrate, according to huge fans. The biggest week for biggest bears is finally here. By Natalie B. Compton ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   A latecomer to the #vanlife party takes a 4,000-mile road trip in a pop-up camper For this family of four — and their dog — hitting the road with a camper was the perfect pandemic-era travel solution. By Rachel Walker ●  Read more »   The lasting testament of Jane Alexander Jane Alexander, with her eighth Tony nod, may be leaving the stage. But her work isn't done. By Dan Zak ●  Read more »   Farmers and residents turned this vacant lot into an urban farm. Now it's heralded for its innovation. The farm has grown beyond Park Heights, with farmers aiming to grow 250,000 pounds of food across 30 vacant lots. But it's dedicated to the community in which it started. By Stephanie García ●  Read more »   Melvin Van Peebles was my father, too Melvin Van Peebles kick-started the modern Black film movement 50 years ago — and taught us about the meaning of heroes. Perspective ●  By Kevin Powell ●  Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out A Better Week for a 7-day email course that will help you conquer your calendar, get more done and find time for the things you care about. Sign up »

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