With the realization that the news cycle will be extra-full of political division and maddening headlines through next year’s election, focusing on the good stuff feels even more vital.

Here is a roundup of some of what made me happy or hopeful in July and August. I know August isn’t quite over but we are deep in our back-to-school routines over here (school starting in August still feels wrong to me) so I’m taking a quiet morning to listen to the sound of the waves and write.

{If you’re looking for a simple, doable way to stay present with the constant barrage of news and opinions coming at you every day, try a noticing practice. My mindfulness journal is a sweet guide.}

Okay, now for the good news!

New research shows that 150 minutes of exercise a week is best, whether you’re a daily do-er or a weekend warrior.

The first cargo ship that runs on green methanol (methane gas produced by food waste in landfills) set sail in July. Maersk, the shipping company, is retrofitting older ships to run on the eco-friendly fuel and plans to build a total of 25 new ships. More innovation like this, please.

I loved this story about a photographer who allows kids and teens to be themselves in photos, rather than forcing them to smile. The photos are brilliant.

This story about a worm that survived 46,000 years in permafrost, crawled out and had babies, blew my mind.

Hopeful news for sea turtles. Also, a friend of ours runs a non-profit that protects sea turtle nests from poachers in Nicaragua. I love sea turtles. It always feels like a benediction to encounter one in the wild.

I think I found the perfect summer job for my Rick Riordan-obsessed teen. This looks like so much fun!

These eco-friendly bamboo bikes made in Cuba are so cool. I love that they’re addressing multiple issues like the lack of transportation and employment opportunities in the country in a sustainable way.

Add some unusual beauty to your mail courtesy of the new “Life Magnified” stamp series. (If you still send letters in the mail, which, by the way, is a trend I think we need to return to because who doesn’t love to get something handwritten – that doesn’t ask for money – in the mail?) The USPS has released stamps that feature microscopic life, including mushroom gills, starling bone tissue, red blood cells and moth wing scales. They’re stunning and fascinating. Check out the pics at the link above and order yours here.

Finally, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a dashboard where you can see how many birds are migrating through your area every night. The live feed starts after sunset but the stats are available anytime. Both of my maternal grandparents were professors at Cornell. They lived in a beautiful old home with very large picture windows that birds would sometimes fly into and break their necks on. My grandparents would save them and eventually take them to the Lab. When I was a kid, it was a fight to see who had to go down to the basement to get the ice cream sandwiches, because we always had to move at least a frozen bird or two out of the way. (It was a little creepy for us younger grandkids, so the older grandkids made us do it as often as they could get away with it.)

As you stay aware of what’s happening in the world around us, may you regularly take time to find the good stuff and “look for the helpers” (one of my fave pieces of Mr. Rogers’ advice). If you’ve got some good news to share, please leave it in the comments!

Here, a foggy morning, the ocean’s mist graying the horizon, just a hint of sun brightening the green leaves of the ficus hanging over from the neighbor’s yard.

Here, a snoring dog curled into the corner of his massive bed, purchased after his trainer told us we had to keep him off the couch because he was getting confused about his place in the family and needed a reminder that he is not, in fact, the top dog.

Here, a chai latte made with coconut milk in a favorite mug, that brings back memories of a sweet weekend on the Oregon coast with a small group of beautiful humans.

Here, my ankle elevated on the couch and a mounting frustration that almost five months out from breaking it, I continue to deal with swelling, pain and limited range of motion.

Here, an almost sixteen-year-old still asleep in the next room. The growth that is happening in high school reminds me of the toddler years, when my head spun from the almost daily changes that made me want to both drag my feet to slow time down and clap my hands with the delight of watching her becoming. I’ve been looking through old photos in preparation for her beach birthday party next weekend, and remembering how much I’ve forgotten about those early, bleary, wonderful, deeply exhausting days.

Here, the dawning recognition that at fifty-one – and despite the fact that I still feel mostly thirty-five in a lot of ways – my body has new and different needs – more sleep, less spice, a more boundaried schedule. (I’ve both rebelled against and reveled in schedules my whole life, which has made for a complicated existence.)

Here, a car that needs repair, a floor that needs mopping, a book – or ten – that need reading.

Here, the bittersweetness of watching friends get ready to send their teens to college, some a day’s drive away and some across the country, knowing my time is coming faster than seems possible. We’re planning a California college visit road trip this fall. I’m a bit lost in the whole process as I didn’t go to university in the US until my graduate degree in my thirties. So we are learning, side by side. Thank goodness for friends who are a year or two ahead and can hand down their experiences like they used to hand down their daughters’ clothes.

Here, the end of the year already in sight. Having spent much of the last 11 months relegated to the couch, healing from surgery, then Covid, then my broken leg, I’m both hesitant and eager to look forward to the next four and a half months and see what I can get accomplished.

Here, a deep gratitude for this life, in all it’s bumpy, warty, unpredictable glory.

Anything is better than breaking promises to yourself.

When you’re craving sugar ask yourself what it is you really want.

Make friends with your hunger. Let yourself be satisfied.

Don’t be afraid to wear lipstick even if your lips aren’t twenty-something (or even forty-something) full. Wear the fancy jewelry to the grocery store if it makes you happy.

Let your yard go wild, even if you’re pretty sure the neighbors will hate it. The bees and butterflies and hummingbirds are worth it.

Put down the phone. Put down the phone. Put down the phone. Especially when someone you love is talking to you.

Get dirt and paint on your hands.

Do nothing for 15 minutes. See how many times you want to reach for your phone or your computer or something to distract you from being still and alone with your thoughts.

Surprise yourself.

Want what you want, even if you’re prepared to not get it (not now, not yet, maybe not ever).

Look for the moments of delight and hold them close. Give the benefit of the doubt. Use your voice and your privilege for good.

Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. (Even when – especially when – you’re holding a boundary.)

Forgive yourself for allowing something you don’t want in service of something you do. Give people grace. Educate with compassion. Call out the bullies and the bullshit. Be willing to say “I’m sorry.” Be willing to learn.

Show up with an open heart, unless you’re sure it’s not warranted.

Stand in your competence with confidence and humility. You know things – don’t pretend you don’t.

Go slow. The world moves too fast sometimes.

Keep your promises.

Let yourself be seen. (Let yourself be adored.)

Say thank you and I love you as often as possible.