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 September 23, 2023

I met one of my favorite kinds of people the other day. As I was checking out at the craft store, the cashier read out my total: $19.44. "Hmm," he said absently. "June 6. A good year." I was busy digging for my wallet and had no idea what he was talking about, so I made a vaguely questioning sound. "June 6, 1944" he repeated. "D-Day. When the allied forces turned the tide against the Axis powers." I was about to respond that I was glad I hadn't spent three cents less when he went on: "That was also the year of the all-St. Louis World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the St. Louis Browns. Of course, they aren't the Browns anymore. They became the Baltimore Orioles about ten years later." He talked about the Orioles for a while longer and then gave a sly grin, as if he had just handed me a very old coin -- interesting, worth keeping, but impossible to know what to do with. I love people like that. Let's call them guerilla info dumpers; the ones who drop random bits of knowledge in your lap without warning because you can just tell they want to share it with the world. It feels like a little gift, doesn't it? A gift that costs nothing, and listen, maybe it means nothing too. I doubt I will need to recall the 1944 World Series in my daily life. But now I know something I didn't know before. That's something to be grateful for. 

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

Good hair 
When it comes to hyphenate titles, former NFL player/filmmaker/Oscar winner Matthew A. Cherry is a force to be reckoned with. His award-winning animated short film “Hair Love," about a Black father caring for his daughter's hair, was such a hit, that it's now the inspiration behind an animated series called "Young Love." The production team wanted to create a program that speaks to both kids and adults, Cherry said, adding that he tapped into his sports days to lead the charge. “It’s being more of a coach now,” Cherry told CNN. Soon after it was released in 2019, the Crown (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act was passed in California, which prohibits discrimination based on hair style and texture. "You know that if you work hard and set these big goals that one day through a series of luck and hard work and just all kinds of coincidences, you may be able to [make an impact].”

Read the full story here (and watch the short film here).

A colorful new venture
Crayola, everyone's favorite crayon company, is now selling ... flowers? Yes, and it kind of makes sense if you tilt your head and squint a little. Both are colorful and fun — and don't do well languishing on someone's doorstep too long. Here's the fun part: Crayola Flowers will also double as a fundraising platform, with 10%-50% of every direct sale donated to a participating charity or entity chosen by the customer. Nonprofit organizations can use the floral storefront, too, as part of their own fundraising campaigns. Warren Schorr, senior vice president of business development, global licensing and experiences, explained the decision: “Instead of just selling flowers when they’re needed, why not unite this idea of color and creativity with spreading kindness.”

Read the whole story here. 

One lucky gator 
This poor gator has had a devil of a time. She was rescued last week after being reported wandering in Central Florida with the top half of her jaw missing. Vet experts said she likely got in an accident with a boat and, against all odds, survived -- so long that the wound was already old when she was found. Now, the hearty beast is under the care of the staff at Gatorland, an alligator park in Orlando. According to the park, staff “will be watching over her closely for the next few days concentrating on getting her to eat in a stress-free environment so that she can enjoy her new forever home here in Alligator Paradise.” Oh, they're also asking for name suggestions, so get your creativity caps on. 

Read the whole story here. 

Heroes among us

They call Kelli Ritschel Boehle "The Wish Maker." Ritschel  Boehle lost her 17-year-old son Nik to a rare type of cancer in 2012. Before he passed, he and his family were able to go on vacation together in Hawaii thanks to the "Make a Wish" foundation. The trip was so meaningful, Nik asked his mom to help other teens get their wishes granted after he was gone. “It was like a seed he planted that just wouldn’t stop nagging at my mind until the point where it was waking me up in the middle of the night,” she said. In 2012, with the help of family and friends, Ritschel Boehle started Nik’s Wish. The nonprofit grants wishes to young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who are battling cancer. They've gifted gaming computers, concert tickets, meet and greet events with celebrities, vacations, you name it. “The one thing in common is it has to bring them joy and know that they’re loved and that we’re fighting for them, too,” Ritschel Boehle said.

Read the full story here. 

Hear, hear!

Without the emotion, there is nothing.

- Levan Maisashvili, head coach of Georgia’s rugby union team. The small European country is competing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and Maisashvili says he wants the world to know their heart is in it until the end. He knows something about struggle, too. In 2021, he was given a 1% chance of survival after contracting Covid-19 in South Africa, subsequently spending a month in a coma. Now he's back on the pitch, and the international stage. 

Rec of the week

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Shameless animal video

There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.

Ever wondered what happens when cats have catnip? A drug-fueled feline frenzy, that's what. (Click here to view)

Made with love by CNN's 5 Things team. 

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