Network 4 Success

Happy World Teachers' Day and a big thank you to all of the educators in this community! If there was a special teacher who made a difference in your life -- or a teacher who is making a difference in your Mighty Girl's life today -- please give her or him a shout-out in the comments below.

To recognize the tremendous contributions of teachers to everyone's lives, we showcased our favorite Mighty Girl books for children and teens honoring educators in our blog post, “Honoring Educators: 20 Books About Mighty Girls & Their Teachers,” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=6711

For parents and educators seeking advice and inspiration on raising Mighty Girls to become Mighty Women, you can find many reading recommendations in our blog post, "25 Parenting Books About Raising Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12416

Thanks to Out of Print for sharing this great quote!

NFL star Chad Ochocinco saved 80% of his money by flying coach and wearing fake jewelry He was flashy, not materialistic.

"Piglet?" said Pooh.

"Yes Pooh?" said Piglet.

"Do you ever have days when everything feels... Not Very Okay At All? And sometimes you don't even know why you feel Not Very Okay At All, you just know that you do."

Piglet nodded his head sagely. "Oh yes," said Piglet. "I definitely have those days."

"Really?" said Pooh in surprise. "I would never have thought that. You always seem so happy and like you have got everything in life all sorted out."

"Ah," said Piglet. "Well here's the thing. There are two things that you need to know, Pooh. The first thing is that even those pigs, and bears, and people, who seem to have got everything in life all sorted out... they probably haven't. Actually, everyone has days when they feel Not Very Okay At All. Some people are just better at hiding it than others.

"And the second thing you need to know... is that it's okay to feel Not Very Okay At All. It can be quite normal, in fact. And all you need to do, on those days when you feel Not Very Okay At All, is come and find me, and tell me. Don't ever feel like you have to hide the fact you're feeling Not Very Okay At All. Always come and tell me. Because I will always be there."



Crisis Text Line: 741741 in the US 1-800-273-8255

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

“Hello darkness, my old friend…” Everybody knows the iconic Simon & Garfunkel song, but do you know the amazing story behind the first line of The Sounds of Silence?

It began 62 years ago, when Arthur “Art” Garfunkel, a Jewish kid from Queens, enrolled in Columbia University. During freshman orientation, Art met a student from Buffalo named Sandy Greenberg, and they immediately bonded over their shared passion for literature and music. Art and Sandy became roommates and best friends. With the idealism of youth, they promised to be there for each other no matter what.

Soon after starting college, Sandy was struck by tragedy. His vision became blurry and although doctors diagnosed it as temporary conjunctivitis, the problem grew worse. Finally after seeing a specialist, Sandy received the devastating news that severe glaucoma was destroying his optic nerves. The young man with such a bright future would soon be completely blind.

Sandy was devastated and fell into a deep depression. He gave up his dream of becoming a lawyer and moved back to Buffalo, where he worried about being a burden to his financially-struggling family. Consumed with shame and fear, Sandy cut off contact with his old friends, refusing to answer letters or return phone calls.

Then suddenly, to Sandy’s shock, his buddy Art showed up at the front door. He was not going to allow his best friend to give up on life, so he bought a ticket and flew up to Buffalo unannounced. Art convinced Sandy to give college another go, and promised that he would be right by his side to make sure he didn’t fall - literally or figuratively.

Art kept his promise, faithfully escorting Sandy around campus and effectively serving as his eyes. It was important to Art that even though Sandy had been plunged into a world of darkness, he should never feel alone. Art actually started calling himself “Darkness” to demonstrate his empathy with his friend. He’d say things like, “Darkness is going to read to you now.” Art organized his life around helping Sandy.

One day, Art was guiding Sandy through crowded Grand Central Station when he suddenly said he had to go and left his friend alone and petrified. Sandy stumbled, bumped into people, and fell, cutting a gash in his shin. After a couple of hellish hours, Sandy finally got on the right subway train. After exiting the station at 116th street, Sandy bumped into someone who quickly apologized - and Sandy immediately recognized Art’s voice! Turned out his trusty friend had followed him the whole way home, making sure he was safe and giving him the priceless gift of independence. Sandy later said, “That moment was the spark that caused me to live a completely different life, without fear, without doubt. For that I am tremendously grateful to my friend.”

Sandy graduated from Columbia and then earned graduate degrees at Harvard and Oxford. He married his high school sweetheart and became an extremely successful entrepreneur and philanthropist.

While at Oxford, Sandy got a call from Art. This time Art was the one who needed help. He’d formed a folk rock duo with his high school pal Paul Simon, and they desperately needed $400 to record their first album. Sandy and his wife Sue had literally $404 in their bank account, but without hesitation Sandy gave his old friend what he needed.

Art and Paul's first album was not a success, but one of the songs, The Sounds of Silence, became a #1 hit a year later. The opening line echoed the way Sandy always greeted Art. Simon & Garfunkel went on to become one of the most beloved musical acts in history.

The two Columbia graduates, each of whom has added so much to the world in his own way, are still best friends. Art Garfunkel said that when he became friends with Sandy, “my real life emerged. I became a better guy in my own eyes, and began to see who I was - somebody who gives to a friend.” Sandy describes himself as “the luckiest man in the world.”

Adapted from Sandy Greenberg’s memoir: “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life."

James Ijames Wins 2022 Drama Pulitzer for ‘Fat Ham’ The finalists are Sylvia Khoury for ‘Selling Kabul’ and Kristina Wong for ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord.’

Make a plan to INCREASE Happiness https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/happiness-research-how-to-be-happy-advice/629559/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

10 Practical Ways to Improve Happiness For when you need advice that goes beyond “Be Danish”

How an 8-year-old found her way home when she was deserted in a busy airport After eight-year-old Wendy McDowell inexplicably found herself alone in an airport, a stranger took charge. Years later, the decision is still having an impact.

Anja Rožen, a 13-year old elementary school student from Slovenia is the winner of the international contest Plakat MIRU. She was chosen among 600,000 children from all over the world. "My poster represents the earth that connects and unites us. People stick to each other. If one person let go, the rest will fall. We are all connected to our planet and to each other, but unfortunately we are little aware of it," said the young creator.

Read more: https://world360news.com/en/anja-ro%C5%BEen-wins-peace-poster-contest-sponsored-local-lions-clubs-600000-participants-worldwide

What an authentic and lovely way to be.

Read What Keanu Reeves Did After Someone Approached Him At A Restaurant Just when I think we've reached peak Keanu, he ascends even higher.

Teamwork

‘Cats WIN - Elite Eight Bound!

A father said to his daughter “You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago.

It is a bit older now but before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.

The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because they said it looks pretty worn out.”

The father said, now “Take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said,”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”

The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because it’s a Holden Torana and it's an iconic car and sought by many collectors.”

Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value. Never!

New survey says these are the 3 most annoying co-worker habits—here's how to handle them More than 90% of Americans have a co-worker that annoys them, according to new research from Quality Logo Products.

38 Interesting Questions You Never Thought To Ask Your Friends But Should Want to strengthen your friendships? Skip the superficial small talk and dive deeper with these questions.

What Not To Say When You Don't Know How To Pronounce Someone's Name It's more than common courtesy to get someone's name right, so avoid these mistakes.

Microsoft proves there are just six degrees of separation between us After checking 30 billion electronic messages, Microsoft researchers say the theory stands up

We asked how you are finding joy in the pandemic. Here are 12 surprising ideas It's been two long years of COVID gloom. But NPR's readers didn't let it keep them down. From cicada tracking to open-water swimming to roller-skating squads, you share how you bring the fun.

How gratitude leads to resilience and how this practice can be incorporated at work.

PRX

Kindness is always the right thing to do.

Uber driver who got a hotel room for teen passenger after being stuck on I-95 gets offered a new job DaVante Williams was just focused on getting his teenage passenger home safely to her parents during the more than five hours they were stuck on Interstate 95 in Virginia along with countless other vehicles.

Creating community one loaf at a time.

H&S Bakery Truck Gave Free Bread to I-95 Drivers Stuck in Virginia Gridlock Stranded Ellicott City native worked with the Baltimore bakery to provide sustenance to motorists, some of whom were stalled for more than 24 hours.