When the world needs more good things

One Good Thing is back!

Mar 28, 2020

Hello friends!

Thanks to quarantine time, I have a little bit of extra time on my hands to bring back this newsletter. And I figure now, maybe more than ever, we need a reminder of some good things that are happening in the world—and stories that make us feel alive, inspired and connected.

Thoughts of Dog® @dog_feelings

gooooob morning. i made a list. of what i would like to accomplish today 7. a big nap 1. maybe get some rest after that 4. sneak in a snoozle 4b. perhaps multiple

Here are some of my favorite reads:

While we’re isolated at home daydreaming of trips near (favorite restaurant down the street) or far (some exotic beach), we’re all remembering the places and the people that bring us joy. Where’s your “happy place”? (Ryan Knighton and Kelly Dawson, AFAR)

How do we find meaning in a crisis? (David Brooks, The New York Times)

What you can do to help—right now (Kate Morgan, Medium)

The silver lining for news: more positive stories. Because, let’s face it, we all need it right now. (Mark Rice-Oxley, The Guardian)

While the world seems to be overtaken with chaos, suffering and fear, I’m consistently reminded of the power of storytelling to keep us together. LitHub sums this up perfectly:

It can be hard to see the point of art in the face of a global crisis. These stories we make, these books we read… What do they amount to in the presence of suffering?

The answer has always been the same, in good times and in bad: books are how we bear witness to life, even as they divert us from its darkest days. “We tell stories in order to live,” shopworn quotation it may be, nonetheless rings true, even now. So we keep telling these stories, of memory and justice and history… of pleasure and possibility and hope.