Welcome to Tuesday, and another edition of Positive DONUT – the newsletter to remind you that there are good things all around you. 

Here's my mood knowing we're about to hit your inbox: 

Now I won't sugarcoat it, Positive fam, it's been a tough week for the news. So tough that it was hard for me at first to sit down and try to find happy things to write about. As I worked on today's edition, however, I was reminded exactly why I do this in the first place – to lift spirits and put more joy out there in those moments when we really need it.

That said, I hope you can take a few minutes today to read this from top to bottom and find some joy in the little things happening all around us. It's always there; sometimes we just need to look a little more closely. 

Have a fantastic week🥰.

–Kailyn

Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~2.47 minutes to read (658 words).

I have an unshakeable faith that my next big breakthrough is right around the corner.

It’s been nearly impossible to turn on the news this week without seeing the devastation raging through Los Angeles. But as local officials and fire departments continue to fight the burning flames, stories of hope and community are emerging from the ashes.

Annie Harvilicz is a veterinarian who runs two animal hospitals in the LA area. When Annie’s brother called her in a panic asking if she could board his cat and his bunny as he and his family evacuated, she said yes without hesitation. She happened to be in the middle of relocating one of the offices and had a nearly empty animal hospital where she could safely keep them.

...and then she had an idea💡. Annie opened her doors free of charge to any pets that needed shelter as their owners evacuated, posting on Facebook in an effort to get the word out to her community.

As she expected, requests from grateful pet owners came pouring in, taking Annie up on her offer. What she was more surprised by, however, were the hundreds of emails from potential volunteers and people willing to help care for the animals however they could.

• “For every person who needed help, there were 50 people offering to help,” she said. “It brings tears to my eyes.”
• Annie took in more than 40 animals before the fires ravaged their neighborhoods, setting up drop-offs and pick-ups and enlisting volunteers for playtime, dog walks, and more.

The veterinarian is also using this opportunity to urge families to keep their pets with them as they evacuate, claiming that many rentals and hotels will take them in in response to the emergency conditions.

“People love animals,” she told the Washington Post. “They’re such amazing beings, and they touch the hearts of so many people. That just comes out so beautifully when there is a time of tragedy.”

Thousands of people have been affected or lost their homes to the California wildfires. If you’re able, consider donating to aid support here.

The Knowledge is a London-based free newsletter that makes news manageable. It takes just 5 minutes to read and uses all the best news sources in the world to bring things together that matter.

• “I think it’s brilliant, short and snappy, to the point, covering the interesting bits. Makes me feel informed. Not having to wade through rubbish to get there.”

Whereas most media outlets are relentlessly gloomy and negative, The Knowledge looks for positives. They try to be upbeat and lighten coverage of the big issues with jokes, quotes, and stories that lift the spirits.

Join 140k+ subscribers of The Knowledge FREE.

British-Nigerian shoe designer Liz Sanya woke up on January 5th with one goal in mind – to design and build the world’s largest sandal. After working around the clock for 72 hours to complete it, she officially submitted her shoe for Guinness World Record consideration.

The massive pink clog measures 10+ feet in width and 26+ feet in length.

🏠 Trinbagonian farmer Rahaman-Noronha is employing building styles that provide resilience against the island's changing climate, constructing homes and other buildings on his property with natural materials such as clay and grass. The construction materials help keep things cool while providing residents an opportunity to connect with their natural surroundings.

💸 It took David Clarke 10 years to decide what to do with the £100,000 (~$122,000) he inherited from his late mother. He put the decision into the hands of his neighbors, blindly mailing 600 residents letters and then putting together a panel from their responses to make the decision. He ended up splitting the money across four charities, each of which received £25,000 (~$31,000).

⛰️ Mind Over Mountains is an organization that hosts free well-being walks and low-cost weekend retreats led by mountain guides and qualified counselors or coaches. The goal? Address depression, grief, and other mental health issues. They believe (and are proving) that nature really is the best medicine. Check it out here.

There are so many ways to be creative. From making music to painting a picture to writing a short story, the benefits of adding self-expression into our everyday lives are endless. This article by Positive News documents five ways to be creative in your everyday life:

1. Take off the pressure
2. Seize the chances in everyday life
3. Carry a notebook
4. Leave time to dream
5. Team up with others

Read more here.

The truth always comes out! Another gem from Dyce Games, Rate My Friends challenges players to rate themselves on different topics, and then other players score points for guessing the closest.

• 300 hilarious topics including how moody, funny, attractive, or smelly are you?
• Game set includes rating dial, trait cards, and scoring sheets.
• Ages 15+. 3-10 players. 30-minute game time – perfect for friendly gatherings.

Amazon Prime members can save 20% on Rate My Friends here this week only.

For my favorite part of the newsletter, What’s Your Win, where we get to celebrate all of the positive news happening right here within our DONUT community. Big, small, and everything in between, there’s always something to celebrate. Check out a win we received this week!

🏀 One anonymous subscriber from Chicago, Illinois, is learning to trust themselves as an athlete…

• "I am a senior in high school. Yesterday, our team won the basketball game on our home court. As the center, I have a responsibility to get rebounds and be strong under the basket. Yesterday, I believe I did just that, although I still have a lot to work on. I've realized I simply need to be confident about playing!"

🥹 Can I be real with you? "What's Your Win" really is is my favorite part of the newsletter. When I started brainstorming Positive DONUT nearly four years ago, this section was one of the first things on my vision board; I wanted a place where people could feel safe and supported to share their day-to-day wins with a community of like-minded and positive individuals. How special is that? 

However, we've been struggling lately to get new submissions. So let me know – is there anything we could do to this section to improve? 

🙏 TYSM in advance. I read every response and appreciate any feedback you may have🥰.

And, while we're on the topic, submit your wins here to be featured in next week's newsletter. It can be something as simple as cleaning your room all the way up to a huge work promotion or engagement – like high-stakes poker, the win limits do not exist! 

Submit your win(s) here.

1. Why is Europe like a frying pan?
2. How can you drop a raw egg from a height onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
3. Paul's height is six feet, he's an assistant at a butcher's shop, and he wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh?

(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.👇

1. Because it has Greece at the bottom
2. Concrete floors are very hard to crack!
3. Meat

Source: S/o to goodhousekeeping.com for the riddles. 

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 two sections above).