Positive Outlooks 
I’ve blacked a lot of it out. But I do remember that recess was a nightmare for me. My mom told me later that she would sometimes hide in the bushes, and when she saw me sitting by myself, she’d start crying. The diagnosis was ‘selective mutism.’ I’d get so anxious around people that I … Read more
A unique Airbnb in Decorah, Iowa, is giving guests major railroad nostalgia. The idea for the tiny dwelling all began when Jim Dotzenrod, 65, came across a row of train cabooses along a road in the city. He had driven by them several times before deciding to take a look. Right then and there, he … Read more
Like many people, Stefanie found herself out of work when the pandemic hit. With plenty of time on her hands, she was inspired to do something productive. Stefanie spent the lockdown learning a new skill: building a custom vardo, also known as a caravan. After months of hard work, Stefanie finally completed her project and … Read more
None of us were wanted. But Diamond was born first. So she had it the worst. She was the one who took away our mother’s childhood. And Mom never forgave her for that, so she didn’t let Diamond have a childhood either. She had to take care of all of us. I remember the day … Read more
Early childhood was chaotic; my brother and I endured a lot of abuse. Having one another helped. It was sort of: ‘Hey, at least there’s another human with me.’ We’ve handled our trauma differently over the years. My brother doesn’t trust authority, and he’s been arrested in seven different states. It usually involves some sort … Read more
There’s so much that the world needs to be educated about, especially when it comes to grief. Grief is NOT something to be ignored, dismissed, or minimized. That makes it worse, or makes it resurface in a different way. Grief is something that needs to not only be allowed to happen, but encouraged to happen. … Read more
There is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some people will test you, some will use you, some will bring out the best in you, but everyone will teach you something about yourself. Both positive and negative relationships teach you valuable lessons. This is an incredible step toward expanding your consciousness. The road to self-discovery … Read more
If you love watching cat videos during your work break, you’ll certainly love this giant 3D cat billboard in Tokyo, Japan. The hyper-realistic feline is shown between advertisements on a gigantic 1,664 square-foot curved LED screen in the Shinjuku district, one of the city’s busiest railway stations. The calico cat comes to life on a … Read more
Sports don’t always have to be cutthroat. That’s the message that Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy hoped to send when they decided to share the gold medal in the men’s high jump final at the Tokyo Olympics. When Mutaz, 30, and Gianmarco, 29, both failed to clear the last height, … Read more
“My dad said we could do something special for my 6th birthday. ‘Anything you want,’ he told me. I think he thought I was going to say ‘ice cream.’ But I said I wanted to go to New York City, and two weeks later we were on a plane. We spent the morning of my … Read more
July 15, 2019. The text read, “Hey Autumn, are you still interested in foster care? Remember when you said to let you know when I think I have someone that would potentially be a good fit? Well, I think I have someone…” Months prior, I had spoken with a friend at church who worked in … Read more
Time is just the most precious thing. The older you get, I guess the more you realize this. Maybe it’s not even an age thing. Maybe it’s a maturity thing, but none of us really knows for sure exactly how much of it we’re going to be given, and so when you truly grow, you … Read more