The Optimist: His Olympics in the balance, a steeplechaser helped other runners first

Meet the man who sits on a bench each morning and listens to people's problems ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Stories that inspire.     (Christian Petersen/Getty) His Olympics in the balance, a steeplechaser remembered: 'We have to take care of others.' He was at his first Olympics and didn't know whether they would end on his first day of competition. But he stopped pondering that when he glanced at the track around him, helping other runners first. By Adam Kilgore ●  Read more »   It started because he went to watch the sunrise. Now he's a trusted confidant to strangers each morning from his bench. "I wanted them to walk away knowing they didn't have to feel alone," said Al Nixon, who sits on a bench each morning before work and, if people want, will listen to their problems. By Cathy Free ●  Read more »   South Africa had no female swimmers in Rio. Tatjana Schoenmaker set a world record in Tokyo. Zero South African women qualified for the Rio Games. Now, Schoenmaker has a world record and the gold in the 200 breast, a silver in the 100 breast — and teammates to celebrate with. By Barry Svrluga ●  Read more »   She's nearly 100. He's 2 and lives next door. Here's how they became best friends. With nowhere to go, Mary O'Neill started spending time in her backyard. On the opposite side of the fence, Benjamin did the same. By Sydney Page ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Her child is transgender. So she went back to school and became a lawyer to help fight for trans rights. Rather than hiring a lawyer, Katie Jenifer decided to become one at the age of 45. By Sydney Page ●  Read more »   How to support someone going through a mentally tough time Here's how experts say people should respond to someone who needs to care for their mental health. By Allyson Chiu ●  Read more »   At the Tokyo Olympics, gender equity is achieved one single-bladed paddle at a time Australia's Jessica Fox became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in women's canoe slalom. Forty-nine percent of this year's athletes are women, an uptick from the 2016 Games. By Ava Wallace ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   For Carissa Moore, surfing brought the ocean's power and glory to the Olympics On Tuesday, Hawaii's Carissa Moore won the first surfing gold medal in the history of the Olympics — then made a compelling case for its place in the Games. By Adam Kilgore ●  Read more »   The professor who assigns value to nature — then persuades world leaders to save it Gretchen Daily is a pioneer in the field known as "natural capital." Using science and software, she shows stakeholders why it benefits everyone to prioritize conservation. By Tik Root ●  Read more »   These athletes are offering an inside look into the Olympic Village on TikTok — no training required! Here are the most interesting, funniest and compulsively watchable accounts from the Games. Welcome to OlympicTok. By Travis M. Andrews ●  Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out A Better Week for a 7-day email course that will help you conquer your calendar, get more done and find time for the things you care about. Sign up »

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