The Optimist: A nurse went to NYC to work on the front lines — and to find the firefighter who saved her life 36 years ago

An NBA player left a waitress a $1,000 tip on a $164 bill; Bakery makes 800 free cakes — one for every high school senior in 12 towns along the Mississippi River; Struggling to find happiness while you're stuck at home? Experts say contentment is enough.; New York's most famous skyscraper shrank its planet-warming emissions by 40 percent; Energy efficiency helped the Empire State Building save money and cut carbon. It can help you, too.; Emptied by coronavirus, churches convert their sacred spaces into food pantries; We wanted a new kitten. The coronavirus pandemic meant everyone else did, too.; A guide to backyard camping: Turns out you don't have to go very far to get away from it all; My weekly trivia night is on Zoom. It benefits restaurants (and keeps my friends together). ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Limited time offer: Get one year of digital access for just $29.   View offer Sign up for this newsletter Read online Stories that inspire.     (Renee C. Gage Photography) A nurse went to New York to work on the front lines — and to find the firefighter who saved her life over 36 years ago She just wanted to tell him thank you. By Meagan Flynn ●  Read more »   An NBA player left a waitress a $1,000 tip on a $164 bill "I started shaking. I had tears coming in my eyes," Kassandra Diaz said. "I just couldn't believe it. I had to go check with him and see if it was real." By Tramel Raggs ●  Read more »   Bakery makes 800 free cakes — one for every high school senior in 12 towns along the Mississippi River Hanisch Bakery made free cakes for each of the local 220 graduating seniors. Then people in neighboring towns started reaching out with cake requests and donations. By Cathy Free ●  Read more »   Struggling to find happiness while you're stuck at home? Experts say contentment is enough. Here's how to find contentment even when your external environment is complete chaos. Perspective ●  By Daniel Cordaro ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   New York's most famous skyscraper shrank its planet-warming emissions by 40 percent Can the rest of the city do the same? By Sarah Kaplan and Aaron Steckelberg ●  Read more »   Energy efficiency helped the Empire State Building save money and cut carbon. It can help you, too. Many of the same tools the Empire State used to cut carbon and save money can work for you. By Sarah Kaplan ●  Read more »   Emptied by coronavirus, churches convert their sacred spaces into food pantries Masked, gloved workers fill pews, packing food for the coronavirus needy. By Michelle Boorstein ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   We wanted a new kitten. The coronavirus pandemic meant everyone else did, too. Pet adoptions have surged with the spread of the virus and subsequent lockdowns. From the Magazine ●  By Cathy Alter ●  Read more »   A guide to backyard camping: Turns out you don't have to go very far to get away from it all For the stir-crazy, even a small change in perspective can be a big boost. By Melanie D.G. Kaplan ●  Read more »   My weekly trivia night is on Zoom. It benefits restaurants (and keeps my friends together). My team isn't the only one using online trivia as a way to stay together. It's a bit of a theme among regulars. Perspective ●  By Noelle Mateer ●  Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out By The Way for tips and guides that will help you travel better and make you feel like a local wherever you go. Delivered every Thursday. Sign up »

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