Sangha of Auspicious Companions

This Week’s DailyGood Digest

This past week has unfolded with stories that remind us of the unexpected ways in which kindness and resilience manifest.

In the heart of Nevada, Texas, a high school volleyball team gifted their cheerful janitor, Abel Rodriguez, a new car, weaving gratitude into the fabric of community spirit. Thousands of miles away, two doctors in rural India empowered 10,000 women with health awareness and rights, turning silence into voices of change. In the UK, the app Wildling bridges the gap between people and nature, fostering a renewed sense of environmental stewardship. On the shores of Ascension Island and Hawaii, the green sea turtle makes a comeback, a testament to the resilience of life under human care. Meanwhile, Welsh puppies trained by conservationists aid in the fight against wildlife poaching in Africa, demonstrating innovation in safeguarding vulnerable species. In Kashmir, 14-year-old Jannat Patloo cleans Dal Lake, embodying youth-led environmental stewardship. Finally, in Labrador, geothermal greenhouses promise a sustainable future for Inuit communities, transforming ancient warmth into a beacon of hope.

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Unhoused in Denver, He Emptied His Bank Account to Save His Elderly Aunt

Mark Gaskin had a good job and a home with a private back yard when he was seriously injured in an on-the-job accident. He became unable to work and pay his bills, and lost his home. He lives in his car parked outside his aunt’s apartment. Last year, his 81-year-old aunt’s account got hacked, and she got an eviction notice. When Mark found out, he paid her rent, and became her caregiver, cleaning her house, doing laundry, and taking her shopping. Even though he was sleeping in a car, and having to go to rec centers to shower and food banks to eat, he didn’t want his aunt living that way. “You know, it’s tough right now because my situation, living outta my car. But it doesn’t change my duty as a member of this family.” “I’m glad I was able to show her that our relationship goes beyond finances. It’s just love.”

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To Dance Is More Than Just a Radical Act

For Kimerer L. LaMothe, dance is more than just movement. “Dancing, we cultivate a sensory awareness that helps us discern how to think and feel and act in ways that honor nature – the nature surging through our veins, crackling in our thoughts, roaming with our senses, moving in and out of our bodily selves…” It is an integrative and imaginative interaction that invites “relationships with the nature at work in us, through us, and around us.” Kimerer relates four experiences in which the dance unfolds: the movement I make is making me; pleasure is the path; desire is the source; the goal is to play. Dancing is another way of embracing and “being with” nature. “Our greatest strength as human beings and our greatest hope for survival on this planet lies in working with rather than against the forces of nature.”

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Take some time to feel your body tune in and join in the dance with your greater landscape of nature. For more inspiration, join a live interview with Kimerer this Saturday!

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This Week’s DailyGood Digest

As the past week unfolded, it brought to light stories of unexpected resilience and the quiet strength inherent in both people and nature.

In the quiet village of Haralahalli, Karnataka, Anke Gowda crafted a sanctuary of learning with a library housing two million books, a testament to knowledge that welcomes everyone from schoolchildren to judges. At 95, Dr. Bankey Lal Sharma embodies resilience, finding solace in meditation and teaching that loneliness can be softened by one’s own company. On Virginia’s shore, bay scallops have returned to the Chesapeake Bay, a century after their disappearance, demonstrating nature’s resilience and the dedication of scientists in ecological restoration. In north St. Louis, Jubilee Oasis Farm stands as a beacon of hope, addressing urban food deserts and stormwater management with sustainable innovation. Priya Donti’s journey bridges AI and climate science, illustrating the dual promise of technology to combat climate change while inspiring a community of motivated individuals. In Gaza, amidst the wreckage of war, children and teachers clutch onto education as a beacon of hope, defying the loss of their futures with enduring dreams and determination. Meanwhile, an intergenerational household weaves lessons of empathy and resilience, teaching that life’s true curriculum lies in shared experience and the raw beauty of imperfection.

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This Physician Left Her Job to Teach Life Skills for Those in Need

Kathryn Miner worked as an emergency medicine physician for more than a decade before discovering culinary medicine. “Culinary medicine is centered on nutrition, food safety aspects, teaching kitchens, being a physician and kind of slash pseudo chef.” Miner left emergency medicine and began practicing culinary medicine at a health care company, but was soon laid off. That didn’t stop her. She started volunteering at several places including the public library running teaching kitchens, local churches serving women and children experiencing homelessness, and at a transitional housing complex. “Miner estimates she’s led between 30 to 40 classes from various groups and says the fulfillment it brings her is unmatched.” “And it’s just left me feeling a lot more satisfied, to be quite honest, than really anything that I’ve done professionally, even in the emergency department.”

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Explore some possibilities in your community where you might be called to serve. Give one a try.

An 85-Year-Old’s Guide to Friendship

Meet Gerry, the 85-year-old friendship connoisseur whose advice for a friend 36 years his younger is to “never lose a friend”. In an age where loneliness rivals smoking as a health risk, Gerry tirelessly cultivates the joy of sharing presence with someone, reminding us to treat our friendships as something we actively create, rather than passively inhabit. Instead of waiting for friendships to bloom naturally, Gerry’s lovingly disarming outreach emphasizes that “people are always interested in people who are interested in them.” As many grapple with our modern-day epidemic of loneliness, Gerry’s ebullient interest in others serves as a warm nudge to nurture friendships in real life rather than disappearing behind a screen. After all, research has found that a core element of health and happiness in life comes from solid, healthy relationships.

Be The Change

Reach out to a friend or acquaintance you haven’t spoken to in a while. Invite them to catch up over a cup of tea, a walk, or a simple visit.

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