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MOTIVATIONAL • Upworthy
The dogs arrived, and he felt like himself againJeffrey Weiss, a professor at Texas Chiropractic College, has fostered seven golden retrievers in the past year while managing Parkinson's disease. He runs the operation from his Houston home with Yvonne, his wife of 38 years, through Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue. Weiss noticed his first symptoms seven years ago, partly through bowling. His average dropped by more than 30 pins, and he began dragging his right leg. A diagnosis came only after a second opinion, and his first treatment plan failed before he found a medication that worked. The dogs arrived once his mindset shifted. He describes them as goofballs weighing 65 to 95 pounds who, despite the size, want to be lap dogs. "They make me smile when I don't feel like smiling, and they make me feel needed," he said. Caring for them, he added, lets him feel most like himself: a teacher, a bowler, a husband.
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MOTIVATIONAL • Upworthy
50 high school classmates grew old in the same buildingMore than 50 graduates of Austin High School now live together at Westminster Senior Living in Austin, where they hold annual reunions without anyone needing to travel. Cynthia Leach, class of 1977, came up with the idea after noticing how many familiar faces had landed in the same building. "That's about a tenth of the population of the independent living folks here," she said. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Red Jackets, the school's spirit organization, and staff identified 10 residents who once wore the uniform. One of them, Mike Roche, was a cheerleader who recently rediscovered the outfit he wore 73 years ago. He still has it. Susan Driver, class of 1962, never imagined she would grow old among classmates. "But, of course, when you are young, you don't think you'll ever be old," she said. They have traded cigarettes and history books for early dinners and bingo, and the pep rallies, apparently, never fully ended.
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DELIGHT • Good News Network
A vending machine sold 3,000 artworks for a dollar eachA vending machine inside Inkwell Booksellers in Minneapolis has sold nearly 3,000 pieces of art for a dollar each, with every cent going to the artist who made them. Put four quarters in, turn the wheel, and a small envelope drops with a mystery work inside. Each row holds pieces by a single artist, whose bio sits on the left side of the machine. It was built by Lilyan Lauzon, who goes by OneTiredArtist and works as community engagement manager at the store. "For new and emerging artists, it's really hard to find spaces to sell your artwork, and I wanted to make a project that was fun and collaborative for local artists," Lauzon said. Artists apply online for gallery space, and the machine gets restocked monthly. Some buyers have followed up with larger commissions. The machine takes only quarters. The staff keep plenty on hand to make change.
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MOTIVATIONAL • Nice News
James became the first to circle Earth by air, land, seaJames Ketchell sailed back into Gosport marina on June 13, becoming the first person to circumnavigate the globe by air, land, and sea. The 44-year-old British explorer completed the 34,000-mile final leg aboard a 40-foot boat named Mindset, having already circled the world by bike in 2014 and by gyrocopter in 2019. He set off from the Hampshire town last July, rounding South Africa's Cape of Good Hope and Chile's Cape Horn along the way. The hardest moment came mid-Pacific, when the autopilot failed at the farthest point from land he could possibly reach. He and his one crewmate worked through it by hand. During the voyage, Ketchell deployed a robotic ocean float, collected microplastic samples, and gave talks to more than 10,000 children, often over patchy connections from the open sea. "The novelty of having clean clothes and lovely food certainly has not worn off yet," he said. His next adventure is getting married.
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MOTIVATIONAL • Positive News
One of six teams making blind football a woman's gameChilangas FC, one of only six women's blind football teams in Mexico, trains several times a week on a public court in Mexico City that it shares with whoever else turns up. Founded in 2022 by coach Wendy del Río, the club was built to make room for visually impaired women in a game long dominated by men. Around 45 women play at an organised level nationwide. Pau, 31, makes a two-hour journey across the city to train, often with her six-year-old son Noel holding her hand. "Football has changed how I see myself as a blind woman," she says. Noel tells his teachers and family that his mum plays football, and says he wants to play too. The team is now raising roughly 40,000 pounds to compete in the Copa América in São Paulo this September. Pau's own dream is smaller. She wants Noel to watch an official match, then hug her after and say, "Congratulations, Mom."
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With love, The Editor
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