July 2, 2022

We talk about self-care a lot here. As we should! Everyone deserves the ability to maintain their own peace, no matter what storms rage outside. But it's important to remember that the idea of self-care didn't start with face masks and steaming mugs of tea and nights in with your favorite show (all good things, don't get me wrong). The concept was popularized by Black Civil Rights activist Audre Lorde. In her own words, taking care of herself was "not indulgence, it was self-preservation." It was a political act to Lorde, to be kind and loving to a body that people in power so often sought to oppress. Self-care was necessary because it kept her spirit alive for the hard battles to come.

My colleague Lisa France wrote a lovely little piece last weekend that echoes that sentiment. "I am feeling more determined than ever to reconnect with community and feel some joy," she writes. When joy doesn't come to your door, as it so often doesn't, it's a necessary act to go and choose some for yourself. Not in spite of difficulties, but because of them. I hope you find some way to choose joy -- to choose yourself -- today.

If there's something you'd like to see here, drop us a line. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do.

Our favorites this week

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

Let's hear it for the girls
There were too many stories about amazing women this week for me to pick just one. Enjoy your latest roundup of role models:

Carson Pickett became the first player with a limb difference to play for the iconic US Women's National Team when she helped the squad to a 2-0 victory in a friendly against Colombia. She's no newbie on the field, obviously. The 28-year-old, who was born without part of her left arm, also plays in the National Women's Soccer League.

Jodie Burrage (above), a British tennis star, came to the aide of a ball boy during her first-round match at Wimbledon. The boy appeared to be faint and couldn't talk, and when he sat down on the court, Burrage rushed over and offered him some water and some of her energy gels. Someone in the crowd even handed her a packet of Percy Pigs -- a brand of British gummies -- to give to the boy. Once he had some sugar, hydration and medical attention, he was feeling much better.

Fuschia Anne Ravena, a beauty queen from the Philippines, was named Miss International Queen 2022. The pageant is described as the world's largest beauty pageant for transgender women. Her winning words are certainly ones to remember: "I always think that the most beautiful asset of being a human and being a trans woman is not just a head that's full of knowledge -- (it) should be a heart that's full of love and respect, an ear that's ready to listen and hands that (are) willing to help other people."

What's in a name?
Kimberly Pflieger, meet ... well, Kimberly Pflieger! These two once-strangers share the same exact name, and they never expected it would lead to them becoming best friends. When someone has your exact same name on the internet, they tend to pop up a lot on social media feeds for some reason or another. Kim (that's the brunette) had always shortened her name, but as she built her career as a reality TV producer, she noticed the other Kimberly Pflieger, a Canadian health professional, often popped up next to her on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. It's not exactly a common name, so Kim gathered up the courage to send a friendly message to Kimberly in 2019, hoping her name doppelganger wouldn't find it odd. She didn't. The two clicked so well that Kimberly and her partner Paul flew to California to spend time with Kim and her husband Troy. They said it felt like meeting with old friends. The lesson here? Kim says it just goes to show the importance of "being curious, trusting my intuition and being open-hearted."

Image credit: Boeing

For their eyes only
I was GLUED to this article about all of the hidden areas on airplanes that make life a little easier for the people running the flight. (And I know we have some aviation fans here!) Officially, they're called Crew Rest Compartments, and they're usually hidden behind some inconspicuous door on board. Some are above the main cabin, some are on the same level, and some are lower in the cargo hold. When designing the plane, every inch of the rest compartment is used, resulting in a space that straddles the line between cramped and cozy. Pilots get their own rest cabins, too, usually above the cockpit. Theirs are often decked out with recliners and bunks. On long-haul flights, cabin crew members usually spend at least 10% of the planned flight time in the rest areas. But don't go looking for them on your next trip! They're intended to be hidden, for obvious safety reasons. Just enjoy the feeling of knowing they're there. "It's a little bit like Disney -- we keep the magic behind closed doors," says one flight attendant.

You gotta see this

There's a new addition to the famed Barbie Signature collection, and she's a beautiful first. Mattel teamed up with actress and transgender activist Laverne Cox to create a doll that captures all of Cox's shine and glamor, and is the first transgender Barbie doll. The Barbie Signature collection also features tributes to the likes of Davie Bowie, Maya Angelou and others, as well as reproductions of historic dolls like the 1975 Gold Medal Barbie. Suffice it to say, Cox's mini-me is in good company.

Wanna get away?

You know what we all need? A good stroll through a lavender field. They're a treat for all your senses: There's the relaxing smell, of course, and you can't get much more picturesque than rolling rows of purple. For centuries, lavender has been used as a remedy for pain and burns and generally evokes a sense of well-being. The low, dense plants also absorb a lot of sound, offering one of the most luxurious experiences in the world: silence. As for taste, well, surely you can rustle up some lavender tea or a nice shortbread nearby. CNN Travel has a list of fragrant destinations across five continents. (Massachusettsans, I'm very jealous right now.)

Hear, hear!

If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people.

- Virginia Woolf

Who knew?

True story: When I was a small child, I was very concerned about pandas. I knew they were endangered, and I didn't understand why, since bamboo seemed to be in abundance everywhere I looked, we weren't mailing every single stalk to these bears in need! A new study shows that the panda's particular passion for bamboo may have evolved about 6 million years ago -- possibly due to the plant's wide, year-round availability. So committed were they to the bamboo lifestyle, pandas eventually developed a peculiar sixth finger, a thumb of sorts that allows them to easily grasp bamboo stalks and strip the leaves. You can see it in the photo above, as a sort of nubbin. It's not an elegant appendage, but it does show how animals adapt over time.

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored