Psst ... hey! It's Scottie Andrew, filling in for AJ this week. Thanks for reading — let's dive in!

If you’re like me, you’re (safely) barreling head-first into summer fun after spending what feels like a bajillion years pent up inside. But while I plan to partake in beach days, sweaty picnics and the like, I’ll still feel wistful for all that time I spent on my own in the last year. Quality alone time can feel stifling if you have too much of it, but I appreciated getting to know myself better when we couldn't do much else. So now that we have the option to venture out into the world with vaccinated friends, consider solitude from time to time, too — it can be just as blissful.

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Our favorites this week

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

Watch out, Tony Hawk
First of all, props to anyone who can successfully skateboard. It is a very cool sport that I will never be remotely good at, so I envy and admire all who partake. But body-positive skateboarding is even cooler. Andy Duran (pictured right) runs “Chub Rollz,” a skateboarding club for plus-size skaters who were previously left out of the sport or hit by fat-phobic comments when they skated. But hate won’t fly with Chub Rollz. At monthly meetups, Duran hands out boards, knee pads and helmets to anyone who shows up, regardless of their skill level. His aim, he says, is to help folks who’ve been told they’re “too fat to skate” find their footing and feel confident at the skatepark. "You don't have to be Tony Hawk to enjoy this,” he said. "I feel very free to be in my body and be myself on a skateboard." If others follow his lead, skaters of all sizes will feel that freedom and self-love, too.

Baked — and devoured — with pride
These rainbow sugar cookies, gorgeous as they may be, upset some customers of Confections bakery. The Texas establishment lost orders as a result of the LGBTQ Pride-inspired cookie, which could’ve turned into a potentially devastating week for business — until, that is, inclusivity-supporting cookie lovers caught wind of the controversy and promptly bought up the bakery’s entire inventory. Confections has sold out several days since debuting its heart-shaped desserts, and it's made a world of a difference to the sister-owned bakery, which nearly closed several times during the pandemic, and to the LGBTQ residents of their Texas town who may feel unsupported. "I wanted to show that we love all people," co-owner Dawn Cooley told CNN. Based on the rapturous reaction the cookies have received, it’s safe to say customers are feeling the love.

A dog's way home

They say never to get a white dog and save yourself hours of scrubbing its easily dirtied fur in the bath every week. Perhaps people who live in the Arctic should also avoid getting a white dog or risk losing it in the vast expanse of ice and snow. Such was the case with Aika, a fluffy Samoyed who spent a week by herself wandering the tundra of northern Russia. Her owners feared her missing forever until the crew of a Russian icebreaker found her on the ice fields a week after her escape. Upon her rescue, Aika excitedly wagged her tail but used caution when crossing the ice onto the ship. Once she was safe aboard the icebreaker, she graciously welcomed cuddles and warmth before returning to her family. Aika may look sweet, but she's a survivor, too!

A round of applause for ...

Verda Tetteh, a graduating high school senior from Massachusetts who graciously accepted a $40,000 scholarship from her school — and then asked that it be donated to a student attending a community college instead. Tetteh, a soon-to-be Harvard freshman, surprised her classmates and teachers at graduation when she announced she’d give away the $40,000 to another student. “Obviously I could use that," she told CNN. "But there's definitely someone sitting in this crowd who needs it more." Tetteh’s mother works two jobs to provide for their family, but she said her daughter’s decision made sense — Tetteh is a natural giver — and made her proud.

A bright idea

This one is quite literally a bright idea. Memo Fachino and his husband, Lance Mier, had for years flown an LGBTQ Pride flag in front of their Wisconsin home. After their neighborhood HOA decided to ban all flags except the American flag, the couple got creative — the HOA did allow light displays in front of homes, so rather than nix the flag altogether, they turned their home into one big Pride flag. With six floodlights, one for each color of the traditional flag, their home is bathed in a rainbow glow all night long. It was a perfect fix — Fachino and his husband didn't break the rules and still got to fly their flag in some fashion. Though he'll dismantle the display in July, Fachino's message of inclusion and acceptance will light up his neighborhood long after the lights dim.

You gotta see this

Shh, it's an elephant snuggle party! This herd, as cute as its members may be, is stomping a disruptive new path through China, more than 300 miles away from their usual habitat in southwestern China. Why they've decided to move, no one knows, but they tend to feast on crops and leave a mess wherever they go. Wildlife officials are currently attempting to redirect them so they'll migrate back home, but you try reasoning with a four-ton elephant who's hangry. Here's hoping they return home soon, where their snuggle parties and voracious appetites won't cause as much trouble.

Wanna get away?

Can you guess what the "world's most livable city" is? According to the Economist's Intelligence Unit, it's Auckland, New Zealand! Auckland's got it all: Sprawling urban centers, rolling grassy hills, seaside views, extinct volcanoes. The city also quickly contained the pandemic in its early days, a feat that ultimately gave it the edge over Osaka, Japan, and Adelaide, Australia, ranked second and third, respectively. Auckland's continued caution means you can't go visit yet — New Zealand's borders remain closed to most travelers — so until then, keep dreaming about your "most livable" vacation.

Who knew?

Lady Liberty has a sister, and she’s very wee. France is sending the US a second Statue of Liberty, this time to display on Ellis Island. Mini-Liberty is just shy of 10 feet tall — that’s about one-sixteenth the size of the original torch-bearer. The two statues are not twins, but they are identical in most features: Little Liberty, built in 2009, was created with the original plaster model from the 1870s. That makes her 12 years old — a mere tween! Like the senior Liberty, the hip, young statue wears a seven-pointed crown to represent a shining sun and stands above broken shackles and chains, which symbolize the abolition of slavery in the US. The original Liberty's "little sister" will spend only a few days on New York’s historic island before she’s returned to the National Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris, so if you’re a New Yorker who's a fan of the bigger Lady Liberty and the tenets of freedom and equality, check her out before she heads back overseas.

Impact your world

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. If you don't identify as LGBTQ, you can take time this month to become a better ally to the queer and trans people in your life. Here are a few ways to get started:

Use the appropriate pronouns. If a friend tells you their pronouns are "they" and "them," then you should refer to them accordingly. And if you mess up, simply apologize and move on.
Don't tolerate intolerance. If you hear someone use a homophobic slur or make a cruel generalization about LGBTQ people, call it out. Ending harmful stigmas and stereotypes is imperative for equality.
Listen and learn. LGBTQ terms and identifiers evolve quickly, so be aware of changing norms. Learn about the intersectional experiences of LGBTQ people of color and Black trans women. Bottom line: Treat the LGBTQ people in your life with respect and kindness.

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

23 unique Father's Day gifts your dad will love

We know dads can be tricky to shop for, but you can't just gift him a tie for every holiday. Here are 23 thoughtful gifts to buy him instead. Looking for something more practical? We've got gifts for that too.

Shameless animal video

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

Watch this duckling hatch in real time, from the moment it pokes its beak out into the world to its final somersault out of the eggshell. It's rare to see a baby duck looking anything but fuzzy, but it's rarer still to witness its first pips!

(Click here to view)

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