Happy Tuesday, and welcome to Positive DONUT. My goal by the end of this newsletter? To have you feeling a little bit like this:

Today’s edition is full of everything from free birthday cakes to sweet Sound of Music memories—and even a brand new section towards the end of the newsletter.

As always, let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions. I love hearing from you!

Have a fantastic week 🥰

-Kailyn

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In Charlotte, NC, birthdays are getting a little sweeter, thanks to a baker who believes everyone deserves to be celebrated.

• For more than a decade, Manolo Betancur, owner of Manolo’s Bakery, has been quietly delivering free birthday cakes to people experiencing homelessness. 
• He doesn’t see it as charity. He calls it being a good neighbor.

How it started…Manolo grew up in Colombia and came to the US 25 years ago with little more than ambition and a whisk. After years of hard work, he built a thriving bakery—and then started wondering what happened when someone at a local shelter had a birthday. When he learned the answer (“nothing”), Manolo decided that wouldn’t stand.

To the kitchen: Each month, Manolo bakes delectable sheet cakes and personally delivers them to local shelters. He recently celebrated his 300th cake delivery some 12 years after first starting the act of kindness.

• Along with delicious treats, Manolo also gives the homeless community something less tangible, but more important: recognition. 
• “We don’t call them homeless,” he says. “They’re our neighbors.”

The impact has been as rich as his frosting. One recipient broke down in tears upon receiving Manolo's cake, saying it was the first they’d received in years. Manolo insists his work isn’t heroic; it’s human. “A cake is not going to solve homelessness,” he admits, “but it reminds people they matter.”

And that’s exactly the kind of ingredient the world could use more of.

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But the hardcore desire is real.

🐾 Adidas just launched a new fall collection for pets—and the ads are cuter than a puppy with an early-case of the zoomies.

While the collection is currently only available in China, the pics are worth admiring around the world. Check them out here.

💭🎶 For a burst of nostalgia: 60 years later, The Sound of Music child stars reveal their favorite behind-the-scenes moments.

🥹 “I have no words…” See the moment this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner received the call informing her that she had won.

❤️ Catching up with this CNN hero: What started with a little babysitting money has now changed thousands of lives in Nepal.

👁️ How the “blinking meme guy” has used his viral internet fame to raise more than $300,000 for MS research. 

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m a big fan of meditation. I especially love taking some time to center and reconnect with myself during the change of seasons. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, try out this Autumn Transition Meditation. It features some beautiful visualizations to help you move mindfully into this new time of year.

* Bonus: I know we have some readers in the Southern Hemisphere. If you’re about to move into spring, this one’s for you.🌸

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Welcome to What’s Your Win, the section of the newsletter where we celebrate the good news happening right here in our Positive DONUT community.

Wins are submitted every week by subscribers just like you—check them out below! 👇

🥰 Ali M. from Coeur d’Alene, ID, is soaking in every moment with her kids…

• “I am a teacher (8th grade) and I took a year leave of absence this year to be with my two small children. It was such a hard decision because I love my career but it’s been amazing so far and my 4 year old boy and I are getting to see a different side to each other (he’s been in daycare since he was 3 months old 🥺) and I am loving having this extra time. My amazing husband is working so dang hard to make this happen for a couple years before my son goes to school. And my angel of a daughter who was born this March doesn’t have to feel the separation that my first did, and we are just having so much fun. I feel so much less “mom guilt” even though most of our days are spent at our house playing, walking, and just being together enjoying this beautiful fall weather. I feel very lucky to be able to do this and I’m so much happier 😍”

Welcome to our brand new Positive DONUT Recs section, where myself and the DONUT team (and maybe subscribers like you!) will be recommending some of our favorite finds across different categories each week. 

Life can be hard sometimes, and these products are always meant to make your days just a little bit better. I’ll never recommend something myself or the team hasn't tried first hand—and I promise it’s always meant to bring you more of the GOOD to your days!

🍼 New moms unite: I recently moved my four-month-old into her own room to sleep, and as a new mom, Hello Baby’s video monitor has given me major peace of mind throughout the night. 

• Not only can I see and hear my baby in live time on the 5” screen, but I also get temperature and room comfortability readings with no need for Wi-Fi connection. 
• Check out all of Hello Baby’s monitors here. ✨

🎤 Give it a listen: I can’t get enough of Olivia Dean’s latest album The Art of Loving. If you’re into acoustic soul vibes with beautiful lyrics, listen here.

🤔 For the trivia heads: Put your thinking cap on for Trivia Factory, a new book written by our very own subscriber David F! “Who knows,” he says, “you might pick up a fact or two that might send you down an unexpected path – not to mention make you the envy of your friends come pub trivia night!”*

* This pick came straight from an amazing subscriber! We love passing reader recs along, but we can’t guarantee your experience—try at your own risk 💌.

✨ Some of these recs are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I might earn a tiny commission. It helps keep the coffee flowing and the newsletters coming ☕.

Do you have something you just can’t get enough of lately? Simply reply to this email for a chance to be featured in a future newsletter.

But we are called The DONUT, after all.

Today’s game is called Guess That Pastry. Below you'll find two lists of ingredients, and your job is to guess their final products (the desserts in this edition are all traditional fall treats). How many can you guess?

Mystery treat #1:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Flour
• Cream of Tartar
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon Sugar

Mystery treat #2:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cold unsalted butter
• Cinnamon
• Ground cloves
• Ground ginger
• Eggs
• Pumpkin puree
• Condensed milk

There's always something to celebrate. Whether it be a new job, a heartwarming conversation with a loved one, crossing an item off your bucket list, or simply enjoying your day a little more than usual, we want to hear about it.

Share your day-to-day wins with us here to be featured in next week's newsletter. Who knows? Sharing the positivity in your life might inspire someone to recognize the good in theirs🥰.

Share your wins here.

1. Snickerdoodles 🍪
2. Pumpkin pie 🎃

Advertise with us: Want to reach other optimistic and engaged readers like you? Become a DONUT partner here.

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