we REALLY need this FGF this week
wonder why
Hey friends. We made it to Friday. Perhaps barely. This month has been the longest year ever, huh?
I transitioned to this Feel Good Friday format after the election. Welp, it all came full circle this week and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
But yeah, methinks now more than ever, many of us need this Feel Good Friday, so let’s get started, shall we?
Bandit is all of us this week.
THE SHALLOW STUFF
Ready to laugh?
Sound on.
This cat has more game than most men.
I, too, am collab-ing with these partners.
What in the Noah’s ark? Watch the whole thing.
Ready to smile?
A therapy chihuahua? Now I’ve really seen everything.
Way to show up when no one else would, dad! You made your daughter so proud.
And speaking of proud, on the flip side, these kids made their dad proud when they pulled over to help a guy in a wheelchair shovel snow. The kids are alright, indeed!
Ready to dance?
In honor of David Lynch, let’s all enjoy this playlist of his favorite songs and then watch everything he’s ever made again, shall we? RIP to a great.
And on that note here is….
THE DEEP STUFF
starting with….
FIVE INSPIRING DAVID LYNCH QUOTES
“These so-called bleak times are necessary to go through in order to get to a much, much better place.”
“We think we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.”
“It's so freeing, it's beautiful in a way, to have a great failure, there's nowhere to go but up.”
“Keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole.”
“Everything I learned in my life, I learned because I decided to try something new.
Now if you weren’t already, ready to cry?
Ready to be inspired?
A local entrepreneur in Tanzania is clearing two hurdles in one leap by transforming old cement bags into backpacks that include a small solar panel to power a reading light.
By clearing municipal waste and helping rural children study after dark, the bags won the backing of the United Nations Development Program for their problem-solving potential.
Soma Bags employs 85 rural workers to satisfy a demand for 13,000 backpacks a month. They can’t meet it, but they do their best.
This backpack craze is all due to Mr. Innocent James, born in the Mwanza region of northern Tanzania, who remembers studying for school by the light of a kerosene lantern. More than 20 years later, many rural households still depend on this antiquated implement for lighting after dark.
Expensive to run and somewhat dangerous to use, many parents can’t afford or don’t trust their children with a kerosene lantern, and so send them to bed without means to read books. James’ solution, CNN reports, was inspired by a university professor he met.
The man carried around a solar panel to charge his phone sewn into the fabric of his jacket, giving James the idea to sew cheap, flexible solar panels onto the outside of bags to power a reading light.
He began making bags himself in 2016, sewing together around 80 per month and selling them for between the equivalent of $4.00 and $8.00 in Tanzanian shillings. This amounted to the same cost as running a kerosene lantern for about 15 days.
James’ fledgling business was supported by the UNDP’s Funguo Innovation Programme, funded by the European Union (EU) and the UK Government which highlights collaborative efforts to promote sustainable solutions and educational opportunities in underserved communities.
Ready for your do good action item of the week?
Don’t let up the good fight just because the headlines have died down. The city of Los Angeles has a long road ahead of it to recovery and we’ll be fighting this battle for years to come. In the meantime, if you haven’t already and have the means to do sp please consider:
Donating to Pasadena Humane, as they continue to do the lords work
And / or exploring in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities via this MALAN Fire & Wind Storm Resource Google sheet. Opportunities are updated daily. There’s always a need for something!
I LOVE THAT FOR YOU! PODCAST CORNER
Keriann Engle is an attorney and stage IV breast cancer survivor who settled in Los Angeles after growing up in Detroit and going to college in Phoenix. In her spare time, she is an avid marathon runner and Disney adult. Listen in to her inspiring story now!
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THREE THINGS I’M LOVING THIS WEEK
DOCUSERIES: SNL50 Beyond Saturday Night on Peacock
FASCINATING. A must watch for comedy lovers and nerds alike.
SHOW: Severance S2 on Apple TV
It’s not for everyone and it does take some patience, but you still have TikTok to scroll while you watch this simultaneously. (But also, like, it’s good so try not to second screen it. I dare you.)
