Feel Good Friday

“How the cartoonist Raina Telgemeier, the author of Smile, Sisters, and Guts, turned the anxious kid into a hero for the 21st century.” The Atlantic (🎁) The Magic of Raina Is Real. (I recently had dinner with her and I can confirm.)

+ “Heyward’s passion for giving back began publicly in 2014 with the creation of The Heyward House. The program benefits underprivileged children and their families through a variety of programs, with an emphasis on fighting hunger, combating cancer, encouraging childhood literacy and providing support for students and teachers. The organization also launched Craig’s Closet, named in his late father’s honor, which provides free business attire for interviews, formal events, internships and more.” Steelers’ Cam Heyward named Walter Payton Man of the Year.

+ Getting bummed? Here’s a video series that might help. An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet, a series that “captures Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s search for people across the globe who are helping drive humanity toward a brighter, more sustainable future.” (I’d settle for an optimist’s view on my open tabs.)

+ Reversal: Guinness awards record to French man who made Eiffel Tower from matchsticks.

+ Summer McIntosh ends Katie Ledecky’s 13-year win streak in 800m freestyle. The win is something else. But that win streak is beyond comprehension. Seriously, consider this: “Ledecky, the three-time defending Olympic champion in the 800m and one of the most dominant swimmers in the sport’s history, owned the top 29 times ever in her trademark entering Thursday’s race.”

+ WaPo (🎁): At 116, She Has Outlived Generations of Loved Ones. But Her Entire Town Has Become Family.

+ One big benefactor of the AI boom: The tiny island of Anguilla.

+ There is such thing as a free lunch. And people are in favor of it. Free school meals overwhelmingly popular with voters, survey finds.