Is it already Tuesday again? I don't know about you, but lately it feels like the weeks are just flying by.

Welcome back to another issue of Positive DONUT, the newsletter where we get to "oooh" and "ahhh" at all things good in the world. In a time where the day-to-day news can feel a little heavy, this is your weekly reminder to pause, take a deep breath, and remember that there really is good all around you🥰.

Have an amazing week! 

- Kailyn

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~3.59 minutes to read (957 words).

P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

Everything starts with me.

I have the power to change today.

I take responsibility for my life.

Great blessings are heading my way.

👆 Meet Cerri Hooper and her son, Lloyd Martin, who successfully completed the London Marathon earlier this year. 

Lloyd has Down syndrome. And as he jogged over the finish line at mile 26, he was handed the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to complete a marathon in the intellectual impairment category (LL2).

• "In Lloyd's words," shared Cerri of her son's accomplishment, "it's achieving his dream."

But the path to getting there wasn't easy.

Lloyd only started training five months before the big day, which, even for neurotypical people, is not a lot of time. 

• The determined 19-year-old is an accomplished Special Olympics athlete in football and gymnastics, but running is new for him. Lloyd ran nearly every day during his training period, with one long-haul run weekly to get him used to rigorously being on his feet for multiple hours. 

Race day: Cerri guided Lloyd through the race, cheering him on and encouraging her son the whole way. 

• "We did not say a lot when we crossed the finish line," she said. "We just both burst into tears."

🏃‍♂️ Bottom line: Lloyd's run was an important achievement for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. "It was absolutely amazing," shared Cerri. "He ran continuously for 14 miles [22.5km] which is the longest he's ever run before... really anything is possible if you put your mind to it. With a bit of work, you can achieve it."

+Editor's note: This story was originally published in The DONUT in August 2023. It was so sweet we had to share it again🥰.

The Motley Fool doesn’t always issue “Double Down” alerts, but when they do the results speak for themselves…

• 🍿 Netflix, up +34,825% since they doubled down on 12/17/2004
• 💻 Nvidia, up +33,407% since they doubled down on 12/18/2009
• 🍎 Apple, up +4,256% since they doubled down on 6/20/2008

Basically, if you missed the boat on a stock, the Double Down signal gives you a chance to get in again or add to gains if you already bought. And today, you can get access to a special report that includes The Motley Fool’s latest Double Down stock, plus two more Double Down bonus picks.

Get the deets here at The Motley Fool.

Twelve-year-old Daya recently attended a camp at the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She wrote her grandma a postcard while away, and was heartbroken when she realized soon after sending it that she forgot a stamp. 

A quick-thinking counselor attached the above note👆 to the mailbox where Daya mailed her postcard; it asked the mailperson if they could try and find the missing letter and attach a stamp for the youngster. 

• The counselor and camper were pleasantly surprised when there was a note written back the next day from an anonymous postal worker: 
• "Found it and stamped it! Have a great day!" it read. Daya's letter arrived at her grandma's house a few days later. ❤️ 

🧀 Say cheese... The Musée du Fromage, Paris’s first-ever cheese museum, recently opened its doors with the goal of offering "an enchanting journey through France’s rich cheesemaking heritage." The museum offers an educational and interactive space to fully immerse yourself in the history and world of cheese. 

🐾 Paw patrol... One Indiana woman is thankful for her rescue dog, Luna; she claims the pooch alerted her to high levels of carbon monoxide in her home, saving her life.

🦌 Dodging deer... Two high school students recently received a $15,000 grant to develop an AI program that prevents deer from running into cars. The devices the boys are developing would recognize vehicles and deer through computer vision, then send out pulses and bio-sounds to turn the deer away from oncoming vehicles. 

Meditation is a simple and effective way to take care of yourself. The act of mindfully sitting with ourselves and our breath can have some amazing effects. 

🥰 So, what are you waiting for? Try out this quick self-love meditation for an instant boost of acceptance and love for yourself. I promise you'll feel amazing after. 

Try it out here.

On average, you'll spend 20 years (!) of your life behind a screen. Which means the goals you wanted to bring to life fall by the wayside. And now that 2024 is half over…do you feel like you’ve made the most of it?

Our friends at Practice of Life want to help you take control of your devices in 15 minutes a day with a 30-day challenge to help you:

• 🤳 Stop the endless scrolling
• 💪 Lose stubborn summer weight
• 🕝 Get up to 10 hours per week back

It's more fun with friends! Invite a friend for 50% off Practice of Life’s 30-Day Challenge with code DONUTBFF.

Welcome to my favorite part of the newsletter, What's Your Win, where we celebrate all of the good news happening right here in our Positive DONUT community.

Last week, I asked for some feedback and opinions on how we could improve this section – and boy did you deliver! It seems like most of our readers love What's Your Win but feel a little #shy to submit their own wins. To that I say "SHUSH!"; you are absolutely worth celebrating! 

• If you still feel nervous to share, you always have the option to submit your wins anonymously. Starting this week, you can also submit a win on behalf of someone else in your life (with consent, of course). Let's keep that positivity going! 

We received a record-number of wins this week, so if you don't see your submission here, don't fret; you'll be featured in a future newsletter🥰. Now, without further ado... this week's wins:

❤️ Faith T. from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is grateful for life's little joys...

• "As I’m sitting in my chair with my two fur babies in my lap watching a very much needed rain, I am thankful for my garden which gives my family fresh vegetables to eat every day. That’s just a little bit of what I’m thankful for, but I’ll save that for a future entry, thanks for reading, and don’t forget to be thankful!!"

💍 Sarah M. from Chicago is celebrating her friends' love...

• "I officiated my friends' wedding in June! I was incredibly honored to have been asked in the first place, but once we reached the day of the wedding it was so special to stand right there with them as they shared their vows and officially became married! I will never forget that day!" 

💪 Sie H. from Virginia is celebrating career strides...

• "I switched to full-time at my job!! Extra money, health insurance, PTO and all just for working a few extra hours a week, I’m so excited for it!"

🏰 Our subscriber Noah visited the most magical place on Earth...

• "We went to Disneyworld for the first time!!!!!!!!"

I asked, you delivered. Here's why readers like you are loving What's Your Win: 

• "I didn't want to wait to let you know how important I think this section is – perhaps more important than the [positive] news presented" said one reader. "Culturally, we are more withdrawn, isolated, and distant, both physically and relationally, from others than ever before in human history... Stories and headlines about human kindness, creativity, positive tenacity, and joy are rarely 'sexy' enough to make the cut[in the daily news]."
• "Ironically, these are the exact realities and examples to which we all need regular exposure," she continued. "It's simply and gravely a matter of health and survival – mentally, emotionally, and physically...I deeply appreciate the "What's Your Win" section and highly value it for the potential good and life-giving fortification it may provide to a species and culture that is truly hurting and in desperate need of it."

Anotha one: "I love the ‘what’s your win’ section! It’s so inspirational," said another subscriber. You are so very encouraging about submissions – it’s my own ‘roadblock’ that after reading them I don’t feel like my little accomplishments are worthy .. which, of course, is the whole purpose of that section!! Maybe others feel same. I hope it stays part of the newsletter.. it lifts my heart 🫶." 

A HUGE thank you to everyone who sent in feedback; I can't tell you how much it means to me! So what are you waiting for? Submit your day-to-day wins here for a chance to be featured in a future newsletter. 

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like Positive DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

Start referring.👇

Hit that reply button and let me know, I read every response. Have a great week!🥰

–Kailyn

P.S. Enjoying this newsletter and want to support my work? It'd mean the world if you told a friend or two about Positive DONUT. You can even win sweet, sweet prizes for each person you refer using your unique link (found one section above).