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 March 2, 2024

There is a tailless squirrel that lives in the woods behind my house. If you’ve never seen a tailless squirrel in action, it’s a little alarming — like watching Spider-Man if he were a prairie dog. He hops around just like any other squirrel, bothering the birds and rooting around in the ivy. I was a little worried about his well-being until Google assured me squirrels can get along just fine without their fuzzy leaf sweepers! Most likely it was snapped off by a predator, but the little guy does not seem to have lost a step. There’s a lesson in there somewhere about thriving after adversity, even if you bear some serious scars. Or it could just be a cute squirrel. It depends on how poetic you're feeling today.

(See, here's proof! Also, let's give a hand to my graphic design colleague Leah, who didn't even blink when asked for a "cute illustration of a squirrel with no tail." She nailed it.)

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Our favorites this week

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

Photos courtesy Harry Jefferies 

This rocks 
New project idea: Rock maps! Harry Young, an 85-year-old from West Sussex, England, started making a rock map of Scotland more than 30 years ago in 1992. After many geology trips scouring the country for different specimens, his masterpiece is finally complete. His incredible art has earned him lots of kudos online. According to his grandson, Young has a passion for geology and wanted the map to be "geologically correct" and "aesthetically pleasing" -- hence the time and care put into finishing it. Young has also been a sailor, so he knows a thing or two about cartography and even included a cartouche with shells and a sand dollar to finish off his work. Gorgeous.

Around the world and then some
Irish explorer Johnny Ward has completed the ultimate tour of the globe, and he's not done yet. After decades of traveling and mountaineering, Ward can now claim the Ultimate Explorer’s Grand Slam, which involves reaching the highest peak on every continent and visiting both the North and South Poles in addition to visiting every country. (Oh, he also became the first known Irish person to visit every country back in 2017). He knows his lifestyle is unattainable to most, but that was what pushed him in the first place. Born in Galway, Ireland, Ward told CNN Travel how domestic issues forced him, his mom and his sister to change their names and flee to Northern Ireland — part of the UK — where he would grow up, while his father was in prison. The hardship sparked his passion for travel. Now that he's done the ultimate world bucket list, he says he's putting all his efforts into helping others to achieve their travel goals.

Read the whole story here. 

Hear ye, hear ye!
We have some super exciting news! Our 5 Things podcast series now comes with more good stuff. 5 Good Things is a new edition of the 5 Things podcast that takes a lighter look at the world every Saturday. This week you'll hear from parents who are actually excited to get a call from the principal. When kids at Richard Mann Elementary in New York state do something brag-worthy, principal Katy Lumb summons them to her office ... so they can call their favorite adult and celebrate together! Hear more about this story and other good things by listening to the podcast here. Let us know what you think!

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Wanna get away?

Last week we talked about some of the most visited National Parks in the US. Today, let's talk about the least visited! Now, just because a park isn't visited a lot doesn't mean it's any less awesome. It's probably just really, really remote. The least visited US National Park in 2023 was the Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve in Alaska. While it might span a massive 8.4 million acres and contain some truly stunning vistas, it also has no roads, no trails, no cell service and no established campsites. Several other Alaska parks are on the list, along with the National Park of American Samoa, a hidden gem in the South Pacific; and the Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys, which requires a boat ride across not-always-placid waters. 

Read the whole story here. 

Hear, hear!

Art has to be a kind of confession [...]

If you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other lives, and they can discover them, too — the terms with which they are connected to other people.

This has happened to every one of us, I’m sure. You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discovered it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that they are alone.

This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important. 

- James Baldwin, from "Conversations With James Baldwin," a collection of the legendary writer's interviews over three decades. 

Who knew?

Kohl, the dramatic black substance used as eye makeup in the Middle East and North Africa, has a fascinating history. In ancient Egypt, it wasn't just used for beautification purposes, it was also thought to offer protection. On a spiritual level, people thought it would protect against the "evil eye," which signifies a curse or an ill-intentioned glance. On a practical level, it may also have provided some relief against the harsh desert sun. It's still way more than eyeliner today -- kohl is used in medicinal and religious practices, too. 

Read the whole story here. 

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

Shameless animal video

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

An adorable, wandering raccoon caught the eye of a videographer who was secretly filming her friend's marriage proposal — causing her to miss the most important part! (Click here to view)

Made with love by CNN's 5 Things team. 

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