Saturday, December 20, 2025 | Your Weekend Reminder That Joy Lives in the Small Stuff
Together with Snow Tattoo
Happy Saturday! Before you dive into weekend errands or holiday prep, here’s something better than any latte: a collection of 2024’s most unexpectedly delightful stories. Turns out, the world was funnier, kinder, and more creative than your newsfeed suggested.
🚇 WHEN BOSTON PUT GOOGLY EYES ON TRAINS
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Did What We Were All Thinking
In one of the year’s most delightfully absurd moments, Boston’s MBTA decided their subway cars needed something special. So they stuck giant googly eyes on the front of several trains. That’s it. That’s the whole story.
Why we love this: Sometimes the best solutions are the silliest ones. Boston commuters spent months riding trains that looked perpetually surprised to see them. It cost almost nothing. It hurt nobody. It made thousands of people smile during their morning commute.
The lesson: Joy doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Sometimes it’s just googly eyes on a subway car.
🧗 PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON’S ARE ROCK CLIMBING—AND IT’S WORKING
There’s currently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease. But scientists discovered that rock climbing helps people with Parkinson’s improve balance, mobility, strength, and cognition. This unusual therapy is giving patients their independence back—one wall at a time.
The breakthrough: Traditional physical therapy helps, but rock climbing engages the brain differently. It requires problem-solving, balance, spatial awareness, and full-body coordination. Patients who climb regularly report better quality of life, reduced tremors, and increased confidence.
Why this matters: Sometimes the solutions to “impossible” problems are beautifully unexpected. Move your body. Challenge yourself. Find joy in the climb—literally.
☕ MOM OPENS CAFÉ SO HER SON COULD WORK
Maureen Stanko felt her 20-year-old son Nick, who is on the autism spectrum, had so much to give. Worried about what he’d do after graduation, she opened a restaurant in Skippack, Pennsylvania: the So Much To Give Café.
The impact: 63 people now work there—80% with disabilities—as greeters, food runners, sous chefs, dishwashers, and servers. The café is thriving. The employees are thriving. And Nick has a place where his “so much to give” gets to shine every day.
What we learn: When society won’t create opportunities, you can create them yourself. One determined mom didn’t wait for someone else to solve the problem—she built the solution.
🏀 NBA STAR LIVES OUT HIS TEACHER DREAMS
Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks player, grew up wanting to be a teacher. His own second-grade teacher, Mrs. Porter, inspired him. But at 6’6″ with superstar basketball skills, Bridges became a first-round NBA draft pick instead.
This year, Bridges taught for a day at P.S. 134 in Brooklyn, living out his childhood dream. He told CBS News basketball is his career for now, but he hopes to become a teacher—or even a principal—one day.
The message: You don’t have to choose. Your first dream doesn’t cancel out your second dream. Both matter. Both are valid. And sometimes, you get to live both.
🥇 FIRST-EVER REFUGEE OLYMPIC MEDAL
Cindy Ngamba made history by securing the Refugee Olympic Team’s first medal in 2024. Born in Cameroon, Ngamba has lived in the UK for 15 years and is still fighting to be granted UK citizenship, fearing persecution in her birth country.
After winning a scholarship with the IOC Refugee Team, she became the first female boxer to represent the team in the Olympics—and brought home the gold.
Your circumstances don’t define your future. Your determination does.
🎭 TEENS TEACHING COOKING CLASSES TO FIGHT FOOD WASTE
In Plymouth, UK, teenagers partnered with Co-op and Barnardo’s to run drop-in cooking classes teaching teens to make nutritious meals using surplus food. Fighting food waste, teaching life skills, building community—all at once.
Youth-led change works. And it’s happening everywhere.
💭 QUOTE TO CARRY INTO YOUR WEEKEND
“Whether we were paying attention or not, 2025 was filled with good news.”
— NPR
Boston put googly eyes on trains. People with Parkinson’s are climbing walls. A mom built a café that employed 63 people. An NBA star taught second grade for a day. A refugee won Olympic gold. Teens are teaching their peers to cook.
None of this made breaking news. None of it went viral. But all of it happened.
The world didn’t get worse. Your news feed just got louder.
🍽️ RECIPE DROP: SATURDAY SOUP PERFECTION
Creamy Cheesy Vegan Tofu Mushroom Soup
Your Saturday comfort in a bowl | From makepurethyheart.com
Because Saturday mornings deserve something that feels like a hug.
Why this works for your weekend:
- Creamy, cheesy, deeply satisfying
- Ready in 30 minutes
- High-protein from tofu + nutritional yeast
- One-pot wonder (minimal cleanup = more weekend time)
What you need:
- 6 oz shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
- 14 oz extra-firm tofu (cubed)
- ¾ cup shredded vegan cheddar
- 3 cups unsweetened plant milk (soy or oat)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1½ tbsp miso paste
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil, black pepper, smoked paprika
The Saturday method:
- Sauté onion until soft, add garlic until fragrant
- Cook shiitake mushrooms 6-8 minutes until browned (this builds deep flavor)
- Add tofu, let it warm and absorb flavors
- Pour in plant milk, reduce heat, whisk in miso
- Stir in nutritional yeast + vegan cheddar until melted and creamy
- Fold in kale, simmer 5-7 minutes
- Season with black pepper + smoked paprika
Pro secret: Brown those mushrooms. Don’t rush it. That’s where the umami magic happens.
The miso adds depth. The shiitakes bring earthiness. The vegan cheddar makes it indulgent. The tofu makes it filling. It’s comfort food that still lets you feel good about your choices.
Perfect for lazy Saturday mornings, meal prep for the week, or serving to friends who “don’t think they like vegan food.” (They’ll change their mind.)
Mindful living starts with mindful choices: Want more on intention, self-expression, and living with purpose? Explore Snow Tattoo for inspiration on how small daily decisions shape who we become.
✨ YOUR SATURDAY MISSION
It’s Saturday. You’ve earned your rest. But before you fully clock out, consider this:
2024 wasn’t defined by the headlines you doomscrolled. It was defined by the moments you almost missed.
The googly-eyed trains. The rock-climbing therapy. The mom who built a café. The teacher who became a basketball star who still wants to teach. The refugee who won Olympic gold.
Three things to carry into your weekend:
1. Joy is everywhere—if you look for it
Googly eyes on trains shouldn’t make anyone this happy. But they do. Because joy doesn’t require permission or perfection. It just requires noticing.
2. Solutions come from unexpected places
Rock climbing for Parkinson’s. A café solving employment gaps. Teens teaching each other to cook. Sometimes the answer to impossible problems is beautifully simple—you just have to try something different.
3. You can have more than one dream
Mikal Bridges is an NBA star who wants to be a teacher. You don’t have to choose. Your first dream doesn’t cancel your second. Both matter. Both are worth pursuing.
Your Saturday assignment: Do one thing today that brings you joy for no good reason. Put googly eyes on something. Try a new recipe. Teach someone something. Climb something (literally or metaphorically).
Life’s too short to wait for the perfect moment to do the thing that makes you smile.
Happy Saturday. The world is better than you think. And you’re a bigger part of that than you realize.
Enjoyed this? Forward to someone who needs a reminder that good things are happening.
#StartEarlyToday #SaturdayVibes #GoodNews #ParkinsonsTreatment #RefugeeOlympic #CommunityImpact #PlantBased #MindfulLiving #December2025
📧 You’re here because Saturdays deserve joy, not just errands. Update preferences | Share the smiles
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