Hey Positive DONUT Fam, I've missed you!

Welcome back to the newsletter with one goal in mind: to remind you that there are still good things to celebrate in our world. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year. Here’s to 2025 bringing blessings, happiness, and more positivity!

Let me know what you think of today’s newsletter by replying to this email. I read every response🥰.

–Kailyn

Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~2.67 minutes to read (711 words).

I love myself exactly as I am.

I accept myself exactly as I am.

I am a lovable person exactly as I am.

I am enough exactly as I am.

For 75 years, Dixon Handshaw believed he was an only child. Adopted from New York at birth, the North Carolina man always wondered where his biological family was and who they were. 

“All my life, I dreamed about having siblings somewhere,” he shared. But New York adoption law prevented him from accessing his birth certificate – even in adulthood.

That is until 2020, when original birth certificates were unsealed for adopted New Yorkers following the passage of a 2019 law. It took a few years, but Dixon finally received his a few months ago.

He immediately looked up his biological father’s name and was shocked to find a face nearly identical to his staring back at him. While his father had passed away years ago, his obituary read that he was survived by six other children – all of Dixon’s siblings😳.

Soon after, Dixon reached out to Gary Romig, one of his father’s stepsons whom he later adopted. 

• "It wasn't difficult,” he shared of the experience. “My biggest hesitancy was I didn't want to intrude on people. I didn't know whether they would be happy that I was around or not.”
• His siblings were thrilled, however, and set up a trip to New York last month for Dixon to come meet the family. He called it his Christmas miracle.

🥰 Making up for lost time: Dixon and his siblings are already scheduling get-togethers in the future, planning camping trips for the summer, and starting a group text they talk “on every day.”

“I had great adoptive parents. They were wonderful. I love them and I miss them, but I always wanted siblings, and now I have them,” Dixon told CNN. “I thought one or two would be great. I got six!”

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🏟️ The second annual Pop-Tarts Bowl took place last month. It featured a nail-biting game between Iowa State University and the University of Miami, which ended in a 42-41 victory for the Cyclones. 

But the real stars of the show were Hot Fudge Sundae, Wild Berry, and Cinnamon Roll – Pop-Tart mascots that caused chaos both off and on the field.

• In addition to the mascots, the game featured plenty of Pop-Tarts references. Sprinkles were painted along the sidelines, and the winning team's trophy featured a working toaster.

See all the meme-worthy pictures here.

👨🏽‍🍼 Join the club… Kalvin Bridgewater knew it was possible his wife could experience post-partum depression following the birth of their baby, but he never knew that he could get it, too. After reaching out to a few of his other dad friends when were also struggling, the men began meeting in the park for walks with their kids to chat about their experiences. The Daddy Stroller Social Club now has close to 100 members, and is branching out to other states.

💸 Paying it forward… Kristen Bell and social media influencer Quentin Quarantino teamed up to raise money to pay off $100,000+ of medical debt for people in need. Each day, people could donate to a GoFundMe fundraiser, which was promoted via Instagram. Once each GoFundMe reached half of its set goal, Kristen Bell would “close it out.” Among Bell’s donations were $20,932 to third grader Mia, who has leukemia, and $24,182 to a man named Murilo, who is also battling leukemia.

🐾 Retirement, reshmirement…. Bear the German Shepherd is a retired police dog. The 12-year-old pup recently received the Thin Blue Paw Foundation’s Lifesaver Award, after springing back into action unprompted and rescuing a missing person while on a hike with his parents.

Can you believe we’re already a week into the New Year? The good news – it’s never too late to do some goal-setting and reflection. I was moving all last week, so I’ll be honest – I haven’t had a chance to sit down and do it myself.

So lets do it together, Positive fam! Take a few moments to think on or journal about the questions below. Feel free to choose your favorite five, or set aside an afternoon to dive into all of them. Let’s start 2025 off on a strong foot! 

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Welcome to What's Your Win, the section of the newsletter where we celebrate all of the positive news happening right here within our Positive DONUT subscriber base. Big or small, there's always something to celebrate. And we love being your biggest hype-people! 

Check out the submissions we received this week: 

🏠 One anonymous subscriber is excited about their recent move…

• "I successfully moved out of my NYC apartment and into my first home in Connecticut! I’ve been dreaming about this day for years, and I can’t wait to get all settled in my new home."

💪 Carol R. from Atlanta, Georgia, is making strides at work...

• "After working my booty off for all of 2024, I was just offered a promotion at work! I'm so happy to take on this new challenge, and it's really gratifying seeing all of my hard work finally pay off."

Today's theme is general knowledge. How many questions can you get right? 

1. Which country/territory has the highest life expectancy?
2. How many faces does a Dodecahedron have?
3. What is the name of the Chinese philosophical system that emphasizes harmony with nature?
4. How many dots appear on a pair of dice?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 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.👇

• Hong Kong 🇭🇰
• 12 😮
• Taoism 😇
• 42 🎲

Whether you had an energizing conversation with a friend, beat a sickness, met a milestone at work, or booked a trip you were always dreaming about, we want to hear about it.

There is always something to be grateful for, and no win is too small. And who knows? Sharing a bit of positivity from your own life could inspire someone else to recognize the good in theirs🥰. That's what Positive DONUT is all about.

So what are you waiting for? Submit your wins here for a chance to be featured in next week's newsletter. We want to celebrate you!

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 three sections above).