Most weeks the news is a weight. This week I went looking for the opposite. What I found was puffins, planets, a father and son on bicycles, a woman at the top of the world, and one very good Japanese dish.

Sit with these for a minute. You've earned it.

And last but not least, how could I not mention the NEW YORK KNICKS.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Atlantic puffins had not nested on the Calf of Man since 1987. The fix, once the rats were cleared out? Plastic decoy birds and solar-powered speakers playing puffin calls. Puffins are social. They only nest where they see a crowd. Conservationists built a fake one. Real puffins showed up. One was spotted carrying nesting material. Thirty-four years of absence, reversed with plastic and patience. Oceanographic

Mercury joined Venus and Jupiter this week for a mini parade of planets visible to the naked eye just after sunset. From June 11 through 15, Mercury joins the scene, creating a mini parade of planets low in the western sky. Look west. Thirty minutes after dark. Free. No ticket. Most people missed it because they were looking at their phones. NASA Science

June 18 is International Sushi Day. Mark it or answer for it.

George Kohler (57) and his son Josh (23) pedaled 18,000 miles across 31 countries in 400 days to raise money for UNICEF. They started as non-cyclists. They finished with three Guinness World Records. They argued pretty much every day. But they always made sure they went to bed on good terms. Over £70,000 raised. Father and son, home. GB News

Dr. Shaunna Burke summited Everest on May 23. She is 50. She has stage 4 incurable breast cancer. Chemo. Double mastectomy. Liver surgery. Radiation. Then she laced her boots and spent five weeks on the mountain anyway. She became the first woman to summit Everest with Stage 4, incurable cancer. From base camp afterward, she said this was much bigger than her. NBC4 Washington

It always is.

You know something good that didn’t make the news. Maybe it happened to you. Maybe you watched it happen to someone else. Send it. DM or comment below. The best ones land in next week’s GEMSTONE.

V> The world keeps doing remarkable things. The problem is where you’re looking.

Even better? You won’t just be hearing from me.

Because writing about heavy topics can drain any writer, I’m inviting some of my favorite Substack authors to take a “creative vacation” right here with us. They’ll be dropping their usual serious analysis for a week to share the wholesome, funny, or inspiring stories they usually keep hidden in their drafts.