The Surgeon Who Accepts Community Service as Payment
As a child, Demetrio Aguila admired his physician father who worked long hours, but with such a higher purpose that “there was always joy in everything he did.” Demetrio wanted to find his own joyful higher purpose. He became a surgeon, and was inspired by his experiences with humanitarian services in the military to help the less fortunate. After much soul searching and some stumbling... posted on Jul 26 2024, 964 reads

The Growing Movement to Embrace Aging
From fairy tales to societal norms, the “idea that beauty is synonymous with youth” permeates our culture. Marketers spend billions promoting “a narrative that encourages women to feel bad about themselves – and spend an awful lot of money to feel better.” One researcher found that “women internalize the fear of aging from a society that does not value aging in ... posted on Jul 24 2024, 1,651 reads

A New Strategy to Cope with Emotional Stress
How do healthcare workers, emergency responders, and anyone in high-stress environments sustain wellbeing for the long-run? A new study from MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research may have an answer. "How you think can improve how you feel," says John Gabrieli, an MIT brain and cognitive sciences professor and senior author of the paper. In the study, MIT researchers showed a series of images... posted on Jul 22 2024, 1,819 reads

Former Businessman Greets People on Street Every School Morning
Dick Kazan, a man from California, has demonstrated the profound impact of simple acts of kindness. For years, Kazan has greeted passersby each morning with a smile and a wave, creating a ripple effect of positivity in his community. Since then, some have shared personal stories of how Kazan's kindness has touched their lives in meaningful ways. Children, in particular, have been delighted by his ... posted on Jul 21 2024, 1,574 reads

Saying Goodbye to the Tree that Changed my Life
Stumpy was one of many cherry trees being cut down to make way for a new seawall at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. Some referred to the aging Stumpy as “he;” others as “she.” Nobody referred to Stumpy as “it.” After many failed attempts to save Stumpy, people began to say goodbye. Photojournalist Carol Cuzy tenderly captured his final days as people and anim... posted on Jul 19 2024, 1,961 reads

Four Days, Three Nights
Lulled by a mysterious dream, Michael Marchetti was pulled to understand in mind, body, and spirit the experience of being homeless. For four days and three nights of May 2024, the former pilot surfaced on the streets of Austria's second largest city, penniless and without a cell phone, to literally walk in the shoes of those who have no address, by societal standards. Going into the experiment, h... posted on Jul 18 2024, 2,319 reads

How Being Distracted May Lead You to Overindulge
Researchers find that multitasking during one activity can lead to overindulgence later. For instance, eating a sandwich while using your phone can result in less satisfaction, and more snacking afterwards. They call it hedonic consumption: “that when people experience less pleasure during consumptive activities, it primes them to want to make up for that loss with compensatory consumption (... posted on Jul 16 2024, 2,184 reads

NJ Librarian Rents Out Wedding Dresses for Free
Librarian Adele Puccio grew up near a famous bridal shop, and became fascinated with wedding dresses. It was “not because she was dreaming of her wedding day, she says, but because she loved the dress designs inside.” That fascination led to a collection of dresses from thrift stores and vintage shops. Adele now gives “once-loved gowns a second chance at life” by lending th... posted on Jul 14 2024, 1,502 reads

A Look at the Rise of Nature Prescriptions
"It was a naturopathic doctor (ND) who handed me my first PaRx—a park prescription, sometimes called a ParkRx or NatureRx. I had exhausted all the treatment options with my family doctor and had turned to alternative medicine for answers. In addition to several nutritional supplements and dietary changes, my ND suggested I leave my claustrophobic cubicle each day at lunchtime, head over to a... posted on Jul 12 2024, 1,988 reads

‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’
Nowadays, it doesn’t take much time in a local library to realize libraries are no longer hushed spaces with people reading books. They help with forms, tutoring, testing, and lessons from knitting to coding. Besides books, they lend footballs, walking sticks, winter coats, and a litany of other items and services. It is “somewhere where everybody can come,” even those who have n... posted on Jul 11 2024, 1,311 reads