Hello friends! Welcome to another installment of your favorite - the Weekly Uplifting Stories!
This week we have:
Thank you for joining us again, and we hope you enjoy this week's inspiring roundup of heartwarming stories!
If you walk through Dunbar Spring, a neighborhood located near downtown Tucson, you can pick quite a delicious handful of natural snacks right from the foliage.
You'll find over 100 species of plants, including food-bearing trees and shrubs, such as goji berries and mesquite trees. Started almost 30 years ago in 1996, this 'living pantry' has been an effort that's involved the whole neighborhood working together.
“We can plant resilient native trees that are not dependent on imported water for irrigation. Trees shade the street, reduce heat stress and provide food for our neighborhood.” - Brad Lancaster, a resident and co-founder of the Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters organization1
Planting drought-tolerant trees such as Palo Verde and fig trees and adopting water harvesting techniques used for centuries by ancient Indigenous desert practices has helped ease the high temperatures, as well as provide food for residents and livestock.
These efforts have resulted in much-needed shade from the tree canopy (Tucson is the 3rd fastest warming city in the US.), and is inspiring nearby neighborhoods and even city officials, who are grappling with climate change issues.
Look what can be accomplished when people band together for a common purpose!
I recommend reading the whole article!
We know that creative pursuits such as painting, writing poetry or short stories and photography can aid in improving our mental health. UNICEF Bangladesh took this knowledge to their young audience, asking them what was on their mind when it came to taking care of their mental health.
They didn't disappoint. Using the hashtag #OnMyMind, UNICEF Bangladesh was flooded with responses. From haunting photos of plastic destroying a beach, to vibrant paintings, all shared the battles people are facing when it comes to mental health issues.
“If you are battling anxiety, take a brush and paint whatever your mind wants. It works like medicine against depression, stress, or anxiety.” Tasfia Ismat Athey, 16
Head to their website to see the paintings, photos and poems of some of the talented youth. We bet they will inspire you to get a little creative and boost your own mental health!
After losing her digital camera on a trip to Colorado, Coral Amayi was devastated at all the memories that would get washed away.
13 years later, Spencer Greiner, a local fisherman was out angling and found her lost camera washed up on the sandy bank of the same river she lost it in.
Even thought the camera was in pretty rough shape, he decided to take it home and see what he could salvage. He was surprised to find around 170 pictures when he popped the card into his laptop!
He posted a message on a local Facebook page to find anyone who would know who the camera belonged to. Connecting one of the photos to a wedding date, he asked for anyone who had been married in the area June 12th, 2010 to contact him. He was messaged within the hour by the groom.
Friends tracked Coral down - and she was flabbergasted to hear the news and get her camera - and all those memories- back.
Coral said what made her cry the most were the pictures of her beloved dog (Who she had since lost) as a puppy, and her friend's little girl as a baby.
You can watch the full interview here.
An adorable and very articulate 4-year-old has a heart-to-heart with his mum after his feelings were hurt.
It seems as though he 'didn't make a smart choice' and as a consequence, wasn't allowed to go outside.
He tells his mother, "You know earlier? I couldn't go outside so I was still a little sad."
His amazing mum sits down on the bed with him, listening to what he has to say as he processes his feelings. She then talks about what happened, with some life lessons thrown in for good measure.
It looks so simple, but this little guy can explain and process his feelings better than many people ten times his age! Way to go mum and dad for bringing up this little guy to express himself. And to calmly explain how we don't always get what we want, and it's okay to feel angry and cry it out.
You need to watch the adorable video here.
Kids can have the most profound connection with animals.
Most people don't believe it at first, but sweet little Abi gets to do everything with her pet goose, Gumbo.
Though her family isn't sure where Gumbo came from, the goose found them when she wandered into their garage. Abi was the only one brave enough to approach her and try to pet her.
The family tried to get Gumbo to hang out with the other geese at the local pond at first, but she just followed them right back home!
From there, it was history.
Gumbo started following Abi everywhere - around the block for walks, in the swimming pool, to the park, even going down the slide.
You can see the unique bond between Abi and Gumbo on this video, or head over to their Instagram page for their adventures together.
We're always looking for great stories to warm your hearts - do you have one you'd like to share on our next edition?
Connect with us in the comments below, or DM us on our Instagram page!
Thank you as always for reading - and we'll see you next week with more uplifting stories to start off your week. Take care!
1 Source - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/21/urban-food-forest-dunbar-spring-tucson-arizona-climate-crisis-drought?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Photo by Yan Krukau
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