A gentle close to the week

With 8 things that made life better / Issue 1,189

Oh, hi friends!

As we gently close the week, it’s easy to see highlights, or lowlights. 

The stories submitted, hours logged, hurdles jumped.

But I wonder how you’d feel if you could also see the ripples? 

The tiny moments with an outsized, sometimes invisible impact.

You might not know who you affected in a positive way this week.

You might not understand that a small choice you made — to show up, stand out, or help someone else — will have profound meaning in the future.

It’s fun to think about the ripples. 

Comforting, too.

They’re everywhere. 

8 Things That Made My Life Better This Week

• Do you want to watch a live cam of brown bears catching salmon? I thought so! (h/t Colin, and also Holly Whitaker’s excellent newsletter!)

• The dedication of this guy: “I feel fulfilled, this has been over 80 years it’s taken me…” At 84, he’s finally traveled the entire Amtrak map.

• The generosity of this guy: The Rock bought a house for a UFC champion who used his winnings to buy a water pump for his village back in Zimbabwe. I love The Rock.

• Publishing my latest Do It Today podcast with Erica Rotstein and getting such a warm response — everyone appreciates Erica!

• Getting a new photo in my inbox of Mr. Pickles, a 15 1/2-year-old Chihuahua whose father reads this newsletter.

• Asking Claude, my favorite AI app, lots of questions — and getting good answers. I barely Google things anymore. (h/t Robby Macdonald)

• Coming up with a running plan — I need routines! Goals! So I’m going to run a marathon on Nov. 3, for myself, for fun. (NYRR has a free virtual ‘race’ for some accountability; another option is to run 26.2 miles during that week! Join me?)

• Just thinking about Raha, a tiny orphaned black rhino at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. That face.

What small or large or rhino-sized things made your life better this week?

I’d love to hear about them.