A 6-year-old girl who was born with a rare inherited blindness can now see after receiving groundbreaking gene therapy treatment in London. Stories like this remind me that progress is not always loud. Sometimes it looks like scientists spending years working quietly toward a breakthrough that changes one child’s life forever. In a world that often feels heavy, this is the kind of news worth holding onto. [full story]

Six Million Books. Six Million Chances to Change a Life.

Since 2012, a nonprofit called Book Fairies has distributed more than 6 million books to underserved communities, schools, and families. Six million chances for a child to discover a love of reading. Six million reminders that literacy changes lives. In a time when so much attention goes to what is broken, I think it matters to notice the people quietly building something better, one book at a time. [full story]

A Cancer Trial Just Reported Words Patients Rarely Hear: “Zero Relapses”

A new colorectal cancer trial is showing something researchers almost never get to say out loud: zero relapses. Patients with a specific form of bowel cancer received a short course of immunotherapy before surgery, and nearly three years later, none of them have seen their cancer return. It is still early research, and it only applies to certain patients, but stories like this are a reminder that medical progress is often built one careful breakthrough at a time. Somewhere tonight, a family got news they once thought was impossible. [full story]

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This week brought much-needed rain to Atlanta. It feels bad to complain about the drought when the temperatures have been so uncharacteristically spring-like, but morning showers earlier this week was enough to rinse away the pollen and let me breathe deep for the first time in a while.

I’m now out of town celebrating a family birthday for the weekend, enjoying a cold snap that will likely be the last of the season. I’m thankful for weather that changes, rain that helps crops to grow, and most of all, for a family that gives me more love and support than I ever dreamed possible.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Beware the terror of not producing.
Beware the urge to justify your decision.
Watch out for the kitchen sink and the plumbing and the painting that always needed being done. But remember the body needs to create too.
Beware feeling you're not good enough to deserve it.
Beware feeling you're too good to need it.
Beware all the hatred you've stored up inside you, and the locks on your tender places.
― Audre Lorde, Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974-1989

This week I want to remind you that you don’t need to qualify to be good enough. You don’t have to be the best at anything; it’s alright to just exist without feeling inadequate about it. Sometimes that’s the best news of all.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Good news finds its way
Light breaks through the week’s long weight
Friday breathes relief

When the news cycle feels relentless, it’s easy to believe you have to keep up with every update, every headline, every shift in tone. But constant exposure doesn’t actually deepen understanding, it often just amplifies stress. Stepping away, even briefly, is not avoidance. It’s a way of protecting your clarity and your capacity to engage meaningfully. Taking time for yourself creates space to process what you’ve already taken in, rather than layering anxiety on top of anxiety.

Give yourself permission to disconnect in small, intentional ways. Put your phone down, step outside, sit in silence, or engage in something tactile and grounding. The world will continue to turn without your constant attention, and you’ll return to it steadier, more centered, and better equipped to respond instead of react. Staying informed matters, but so does taking care of yourself.

I listened to my body and disconnected this week when I took a notebook to a nearby park and sat beneath an old oak for a few hours. It wasn’t productive, nor did I mark anything off my to do list. It was restorative and peaceful just writing what came to mind, including a short letter wherein I told myself that I’m right where I need to be, and that I’m doing good.

I took time to feel the ground beneath me and the breeze cooling me, to hear the birds and the rustle of the leaves that shaded me from the sun. I took time to just be, and that’s good news.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This week I got to see a friend I don’t see often as we saw the band Snarky Puppy in concert. With so much uncertainty going on in the world, it felt good to have a few hours of relative normalcy. Laughing with a friend, getting lost in the music at a live show. It just felt good.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This week has been a productive one personally. I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen (one of my happy places), starting a big batch of sauerkraut with a surplus of Savoy cabbage

and making a batch of apple butter with surplus Honeycrisp apples

I can’t explain the feeling I get every time I work with food that was deemed less than adequate and destined for the landfill. Clearance aisles and food reclamation projects like the FoodCommune organization in Atlanta that I have talked about before are my jam. There is so much food waste in the U.S., and I work hard to not contribute to it.

I’ve also made a lot of progress on a writing project that I’m keeping to myself for a while longer, but I’ve somehow managed to put more than 7,000 words down in the past couple of days. It’s been so long since I’ve felt as though I was really in my groove writing - the kind of groove in which hours disappear in a flurry of typing and before you know it, you have something substantial to work with.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This week I leveled up my coaching business by launching a website and social media presence. I’ve been a Certified Professional Recovery Coach since 2022, but because of a hectic work schedule I wasn’t able to take on more than a couple of regular clients, so I didn’t do much to promote it. That all changed a month ago yesterday.

In February I parted ways with my employer, leaving behind a career of which I am very proud. Working as an advocate and supporter of people experiencing homelessness and poverty has been one of the most exhausting and soul-filling things I’ve ever done and turning a corner away from it is tough for someone who thrives on helping people. Then I reminded myself that everything about my life involves helping, and I began to think hard and heavy about doing what I love in ways that are more sustainable and better suited to my life as a 53 year old family man.

As an addiction counselor and coach, I have the ability to work remotely whenever I need to, which frees me up to be away from home. With family in Ohio and south Georgia, the ability to travel is a good thing. It also affords me the opportunity to make my own schedule, enabling me to be more consistent with my own wellness pursuits.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Continuing the theme of racism, Fred Rogers was born on this day in 1928. The calm, comforting Mr. Rogers took a stand while sitting down with a black man known as ‘Officer Clemmons’ on “Mr Rogers Neighborhood” in 1969. The pair had a conversation while cooling their feet in a kiddie pool. This was at a time in history when racism segregation was on everyone’s minds. Rogers also successfully sued the Ku Klux Klan in 1990 after the Missouri chapter impersonated his voice on a telephone hotline used to spread racist ideology to children. Rogers won the lawsuit.

It may seem odd that I would talk about a topic like racism on Good News Friday, but despite the subject matter, both of these examples reflect positive historical moments in the fight against racism, a fight that sadly continues.

My good news for the week is that I am an outspoken advocate for disenfranchised people, and that I learned the importance of listening and learning from them rather than simply using my privilege to speak on their behalf. Racism, sexism, homo- and transphobia continue to exist unfettered today, but I have surrounded myself with brilliant people who help to open my eyes every day to new ways that I can fight them.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

It’s normal to feel anxious when things are shifting; a little anxiety over the unknown is to be expected. When I start to notice that my anxiety is taking over, or it isn’t lessening with time, it’s time to have a conversation with the mirror.

What are you anxious about?

What can you do about it?

Is it out of your control?

Are you holding on to something you can’t control?

What do you need to be ok right now?

Self talk is an important tool in my arsenal. It is a way of consciously reframing a situation so that I can view it from a different perspective, and it allows me to make use of the same tools I employ in my professional life as a counselor.

Today I encourage you to have a conversation with the mirror. Look yourself in the eye periodically to check in on how you are doing. It may feel silly or awkward at first, but looking yourself in the eye can be a powerful thing, especially for those of us who struggle with self image issues.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

But in this moment, just stillness.

This week I am grateful for the gift of stillness. I’m not known for someone who sits still often or for long, but a recent shift afforded me the unexpected luxury and my blood pressure tells me that stillness is a good look for me.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This Good News Friday thing has been going on for 18 years now, but it took a while for me to understand that writing this post is a mindfulness practice for me each week. When I come down with a bout of I don’t feel like it, I’ve trained myself to double down and narrow my view, because perspective matters.

Share

This week I celebrate my spouse’s birthday, my successful apple cider vinegar making project, and the 10th anniversary of the start of my nonprofit organization Just Love More. I’ve neglected my work with JLM for a few years now, but my commitment to providing compassionate support for people affected by addiction is stronger than ever.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Share The Michael Nolan Substack

Be human. Accept that you will make mistakes and when you do, apologize for them. What happens after you have made a sincere apology is beyond your control, so worrying about it is pointless.

Say what you mean. If you love someone, tell them. Don’t ever take for granted that your actions will do the talking for you because they might not be sending the intended message.

Mean what you say. Before you speak in haste, breathe. Give your brain a few seconds to catch up to your emotions so that you don’t say something that you will wish you hadn’t.

Do your best. Give every project your best effort. Then, instead of putting yourself down (or letting others do so), remind yourself that you did the best you could at the time. There is never room for shame when you gave all you had to give.

Look ‘em in the eye. The next time you check out at the market or order a meal at a restaurant, make sure your server feels seen. When your meal is complete, offer them a sincere ‘thank you’ as you go.

Smile. When you look at yourself in the mirror, instead of turning on your critical eye, smile at yourself instead.

Cook your favorite meal. Use the good dishes and drink the bottle of wine you’ve been saving for a special someone or special occasion. Today is a special occasion and you are special.

Don’t get (in) your way. Never forget that while your way may be best for you, it may not be right for everyone. Respect everyone’s right to make their own decisions and don’t pass judgment simply because someone did not follow your way. Mistakes made are lessons learned.

Stop hiding and love yourself. Be true to yourself. Don’t hide who you are out of fear of losing friends and loved ones. If they are true friends, they will love and support you unconditionally. If they don’t, they’re not your friends. Either way, living a lie is not living at all and you can’t love yourself if you can’t be honest about who you are.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

1. Two of my clients signed leases on their new apartments yesterday, and traded a tent outside for their own warm bed inside.

2. I kept the momentum and continued my goal of making a home cooked meal for people in need each week.

3. My family and I are all in good health.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

This week started on a high note as I managed to successfully coordinate and transport four clients to their housing appointments on Monday. If you’re not familiar with the work I do, it is often difficult to coordinate appointments for people experiencing chronic homelessness; they may not have phones to stay in touch, or watches to even know what time or day it is. But on this day, everything fell into place and four people experiencing homelessness took a tremendous step toward breaking that cycle.

This week I also prepared a delicious meal to ensure that 20 people who sleep outside had a home cooked meal. It’s a personal project and challenge I set for myself before the first of the year - to brainstorm meals I can create that are made up primarily of items from our food pantry. This week’s meal:

It’s almost like my own personal game of CHOPPED; I look at what ingredients I have on hand and put together a plan for how those items might come together to make a meal. In my office I have a 6 foot long table lined with boxes, each box labeled with the food item I want to prepare. When the ingredient list is mostly complete, I put items together to make as cohesive a meal as possible.

This week, 100% of the ingredients I used to make this meal were donated, and I have to admit, this was a meal I am very proud to say I made.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Good times and bum times, I've seen 'em all, and, my dear,
I'm still here.

Stephen Sondheim, “I’m Still Here”

Some weeks it’s a challenge to think about the good. When the world around us seems to be anything but good, it can feel wrong. Sometimes my brain tries to tell me that I should feel guilty for looking for the good, but I’m well aware that sometimes my brain is way off base.

Things are scary out there, full stop. But what I won’t do is give in to that fear and anger; I will not let it control me or my life because that is when they win. That’s when I start living my fear instead of living my life, and those days are gone, y’all.

This week I am doubling down on this whole Good News Friday thing, and I am encouraging you to do the same. The harder it is to think of something good, the more important it becomes that we do so.

My good for the week is that I have been successful in being mindful and staying grounded. I am practicing being fully present with my clients, and my mind has been focused on moving forward toward getting each one of them ready for, and eventually moved into housing and off the streets.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

That’s not good news, but I needed to explain the background so you could fully appreciate what is. This week I have acquired 9 birth certificates, 16 Social Security cards, and 6 state ID cards for my clients. These docs are all necessary to establish identity and qualify someone for housing assistance and many other social service supports.

Also this week, I accompanied 4 clients to their housing application appointments and saw the glimmer of hope return to their eyes when they got to see the apartments that they will be moving into in the next couple of weeks. And I get to do it all over again with 4 more clients next week.

But the undeniable BEST GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK award for me goes to finding the Social Security number of a client with cognitive and mental health issues, after exhausting every effort I could think of for the past two years. That means I can now move forward with getting the client’s identification docs toward a permanent housing solution, but it’s even better than that. This client was recently diagnosed with cancer, and I will finally be able to connect them to assistance in getting the disability they absolutely qualify for and need.

There’s a lot of heavy in my day-to-day, but this week there have also been some beautifully light moments. I hope you have found your light this week.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Thousands of leaves grow on the same tree, and though they may look the same from a distance, when we look closely enough, we see what makes them unique. If you were to put two people from the same city into identical situations, the outcome would inevitably be different. Give them each $100 and odds are high that they would not spend it the same way.

Watch any cooking competition and you'll see that you can give two people identical ingredients and end up with lots of different dishes. Though as a child I watched faithfully while my granny exercised great patience to teach me her “simple, really” recipe for dumplings (the kind that go into the southern delicacy with chicken, natch), I haven’t ever been able to make them just right, even when I use the exact same ingredients and follow the instructions she so carefully taught me.

We approach life based on dozens of inputs that are unique and personal, each impacting our perspective in varying degrees. That’s why we don’t always agree, and that’s ok. What’s not ok is when we entrench ourselves so deeply in our perceived rightness that we lose sight of our humanness.

Here’s to seeing others as unique and nuanced individuals who deserve to be treated with love, care, and generosity of spirit. Here’s to being one in 8.3 billion.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

It came about years ago. It wasn’t just some random attempt at spreading happiness and joy, it was a concerted plea to anyone reading. I was being crushed in a battle with depression and desperately needed a glimmer of positivity. A social media group of which I was a part at the time had succumbed to a lot of negativity (big surprise, I know), and when I logged on and couldn’t find anything positive or hopeful when I needed it, I started Good News Friday. That day, that first post, it wasn’t about anyone else, it was about me. I needed saving.

Eighteen years later, I have missed Good News Friday twice. I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs, but no matter how tough things have been, I’ve always known that on Friday morning, I’d be making a post to inspire myself and others to remember and recognize the good going on in our lives. It may seem trivial or even annoying to some, but for as long as I am able, it will remain my weekly reminder of how easy it is to end up on the wrong path.

One really shitty day a long time ago, I had an open bottle of pills in my hand. For some reason, a light went off in my head; I closed the bottle and wrote the first Good News Friday post instead. Every week, that post is my silent confession and your personal responses save me all over again.

This was never about spreading toxic positivity. It’s about taking the chaos of life and - once a week - reminding myself that there is always something good to look at.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Welcome to Good News Friday on Substack!

Each week I share some uplifting thoughts and good things I’ve found to help us all remember that even when life gets complicated, good things are always happening around us. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that I continue to welcome you to share your good news in the comments. Now, on with the good!

Today in History

Birthdays

Want to see your birthday here? Leave a comment below and I’ll add it to the birthday calendar!

• 1854 Alice Mary Robertson (social worker & 2nd woman in Congress)

• 1920 Isaac Asimov (scientist & sci-fi author)

• 1947 Jack Hanna (zookeeper & TV personality)

• 1954 Dawn Silva (Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone)

• 1954 Glen Goins (Parliament Funkadelic)

• 1963 David Cone (baseball)

• 1968 Cuba Gooding Jr (actor)

• 1969 Christy Turlington (supermodel)

• 1969 Tommy Morrison (boxer)

• 1971 Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton)

• 1971 Taye Diggs (actor)

• 1975 Dax Shepard (actor & podcaster)

A Word from Michael

It’s the first Friday of 2026. I’m not a fan of the whole “new year, new me” thing, but as someone who is constantly examining and reevaluating my life choices, I do see value in the concept of resolutions themselves. It’s just that we don’t need to start something new at the beginning of the year, month, week, or day. For many of us though, there is a predisposition to having a clearly delineated starting point.

“2025 was a crap year.”

No, it wasn’t. We just naturally focus on the negative, which commits it more solidly into our long term memories.

On December 11th, I learned that my cholesterol numbers weren’t where they should be. Rather than wait to discuss the matter with my provider, I immediately implemented a dietary plan of action. Two weeks later, I was down 5 pounds and not feeling as though I was missing out on anything. My point is that if you notice something about your life that you want to change, don’t wait for a sign or for some seemingly significant day to start.

In 2026, I have some personal and professional goals that I started putting in place when I decided on them. Changing my diet automatically meant that I am cooking and preparing food at home more, and with that comes higher quality, healthier, more cost-effective meals. I don’t mind spending $14 on good salmon at the market when a single salmon entree at a restaurant would easily cost more, and my $14 purchase is enough to feed both my husband and me.

I’m also doubling down on food preservation with canning, dehydrating, fermenting, et cetera. Food prices are creeping upward every day, so I’m using skills I’ve had my whole life to save money and increase the quality of the food my family and I eat. Bonus for making it easier for introverted autistic me to shop my own pantry instead of making another trip to the crowded market.

I’m not sharing this to give you something to compare yourself against, I’m sharing because I want you to understand that it’s natural to think about making changes in your life right now. If that describes you, I’m 100% in your corner and I hope you feel loved and supported in your goals. 2025 was rough for many of us, so more than anything, my wish is for a calmer, more inclusive, and more loving year for us all.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,

Welcome to Good News Friday on Substack!

Each week I share some uplifting thoughts and good things I’ve found to help us all remember that even when life gets complicated, good things are always happening around us. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that I continue to welcome you to share your good news in the comments. Now, on with the good!

Today in History

Birthdays

• 1921 Steve Allen (comedian & presenter)

• 1926 Ali Javan (physicist & inventor)

• 1935 Abdul “Duke” Fakir (Four Tops)

• 1942 Gray Davis (politician)

• 1954 Ozzie Smith (Baseball Hall of Famer)

• 1956 David Sedaris (essayist)

• 1963 Lars Ulrich (Metallica)

• 1973 Ryan Berube (Olympian)

• 1975 Tony Brackens (football player)

• 1983 Alexander Wang (designer)

• 1986 Kit Harrington (actor)

A Word from Michael

On Wednesday morning, my neighbor messaged to tell me that one of my tires was low. A few minutes later he informed me that there was a screw in it. Before I was able to say no, he had messaged me again with a photo of him holding a tire patch kit. Then, he insisted that he be allowed to patch my tire for me because I “do so much for the community”.

The holidays are tough for me (childhood trauma is a bitch), but my neighbor reminded me that there are still good people out there who do good things just because they see a need. He didn’t ask for anything in return, he just wanted to do something for me.

If your holidays are an annual ride on the Struggle Bus, you’re not alone. Do something kind for yourself, and know that you are loved.

And Now It’s Your Turn

Good News Friday is all about participation. Think back on your week and share something good from your world. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just some small bright spot that stood out for you. Leave a comment and let everyone celebrate the good together!

That wraps it up for this week. Take your medicine and drink some water.

Never forget that I love you,