Your Tuesday Morning Dose of Positivity & Progress
Lunar New Year Edition | Reading Time: 8 min | ๆญๅ็ผ่ฒก โ Gong Xi Fa Cai! โ๐ฎ
โ๏ธ GOOD MORNING, HISTORY MAKERS!
Happy Lunar New Year โ and Happy Tuesday! Today, more than 1.5 billion people ring in the Year of the Fire Horse, a rare celestial combination that arrives only once every 60 years. Meanwhile, the Winter Olympics delivered one of the most emotional gold medals in recent memory last night. The world is full of good things right now. Let’s get into it.
๐ฅ THE BIG STORY: “I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE”
Elana Meyers Taylor Wins Olympic Gold at 41
THE HEADLINE: A 41-year-old mother of two special-needs children โ coming back from concussions, competing in her fifth Olympics โ won gold last night by 0.04 seconds. Then fell to her knees and cried.
Let that sink in. Four hundredths of a second. The width of a fingernail. The margin between silver โ again โ and the gold she’d been chasing her entire career.
Elana Meyers Taylor’s two young sons watched her leap into the air, throw her fists skyward, wave the American flag, then fall to her knees and start to cry.
How It Happened:
For the first three heats she trailed Germany’s Laura Nolte, but a blistering fourth run of 59.51 seconds saw her edge the standings with a combined time of 3:57.93. Nolte staggered in the opening turns of that final run โ and her 0.15-second lead evaporated in real time. When the timer turned red, it was over. Meyers Taylor had done it.
The Records She Broke:
- With Monday’s gold, she tied speed skater Bonnie Blair for the most medals by a female U.S. Winter Olympian.
- She became the oldest American woman to hear “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in her honor at the Winter Games.
- She has more medals than any Black athlete in Winter Olympics history.
- Oldest bobsleigh medallist at any Games since 1956.
The Person Behind the Medal:
The medal comes as Meyers Taylor continues competing as a mother of two, using her platform to advocate for children with disabilities and families navigating deafness and Down syndrome. Both of her sons, Nico and Noah, are deaf and Nico also has Down syndrome.
“There were so many moments I thought it wasn’t possible, and I had some really good people in my corner who believed in me. And people from all over the world reaching out and telling me their stories, and how they had kids with Down syndrome, they had deaf kids, and how they believed in me, too.”
And from teammate Kaillie Humphries, 40 years old, who took bronze:
“You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40, it’s all downhill from there, is what you hear. I think Elana and I are both proof that that’s not true. As soon as you become a mom, your body’s not the same, and you can never get that high performance back, and I think we were able to show that that’s not true again.”
This wasn’t just a sporting result. This was a message to every person who has been told it’s too late. It isn’t.
Source: ESPN | NBC Olympics | CBS News | Olympics.com
“I thought it was impossible. There were so many moments I thought it wasn’t possible โ and I had some really good people in my corner who believed in me.” โ Elana Meyers Taylor, Olympic Champion ๐ฅ
๐ MEDAL COUNT UPDATE (Day 11 โ Tuesday, Feb. 17)
Where Things Stand
Top 10 Nations entering Day 11:
| Nation | ๐ฅ Gold | ๐ฅ Silver | ๐ฅ Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ณ๐ด Norway | 12 | 7 | 9 | 28 |
| ๐ฎ๐น Italy (Host) | 8 | 4 | 11 | 23 |
| ๐บ๐ธ USA | 6 | 8 | 5 | 19 |
| ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| ๐ฆ๐น Austria | 5 | 7 | 3 | 15 |
| ๐ธ๐ช Sweden | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| ๐ซ๐ท France | 4 | 7 | 4 | 15 |
| ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 4 | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| ๐ง๐ท Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Team USA’s Medal Haul So Far:
The U.S. has had the most success in freestyle skiing with five podium finishes. Five U.S. athletes have won multiple medals at the 2026 Games: Madison Chock and Evan Bates (silver in ice dance, gold in figure skating team event), Jaelin Kauf (two silvers in moguls), Elizabeth Lemley (gold + bronze in moguls), and Jordan Stolz (two golds, two Olympic records in speedskating).
Today’s Medal Events (Tuesday, Feb. 17):
There will be seven medal events contested on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Key events include biathlon mixed relay, Nordic combined, women’s figure skating, and curling semifinals. The women’s hockey gold medal game vs. Canada is on the horizon for Thursday.
Source: NBC Olympics | Olympics.com | CBS News
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them โ a desire, a dream, a vision.” โ Muhammad Ali
๐ฎ HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE BEGINS
A Rare Cosmic Event โ Once Every 60 Years
Today, February 17, 2026, more than 1.5 billion people worldwide celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year โ and this year’s edition is especially rare. The Year of the Fire Horse only comes once every 60 years, combining the 7th animal of the Chinese zodiac with the electrifying fire element.
What the Fire Horse symbolizes:
Intensity. Bold decisions. Forward momentum. Courage over caution. Astrologers describe it as a year for those willing to make decisive moves โ a sports car of zodiac years, designed to go fast.
How the World Is Celebrating:
- In Shenzhen, 4,000 drones lit up the night sky in a breathtaking synchronized display
- In Taiwan, temple bells rang 108 times โ an auspicious number
- In Vietnam (where it’s called Tแบฟt), fireworks exploded over bridges and skyscrapers
- In San Francisco’s Chinatown, the annual parade draws hundreds of thousands
- Across China, an estimated 9.5 billion passenger trips are made during the 40-day Spring Festival โ the world’s largest annual human migration
Traditions to Know:
๐งง Red Envelopes (Hรณngbฤo): Filled with money, symbolizing luck and prosperity. Red wards off evil spirits.
๐ฅ Dumplings: Shaped like ancient gold ingots, representing wealth.
๐ Dragon Dances: Loud sounds and bright colors believed to drive away misfortune.
๐ฎ Lantern Festival: The 15-day celebration closes on March 3 with lanterns lit across cities and rivers.
The Year of the Fire Horse is said to favor those who run boldly toward their dreams. After everything we’ve witnessed at these Olympics, it seems like the perfect time for it.
“The horse does not creep โ it gallops.”
โ๏ธ โช๏ธ TOMORROW: LENT AND RAMADAN BEGIN ON THE SAME DAY
A Rare and Beautiful Convergence
Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 18, two of the world’s great faith traditions begin their most sacred seasons simultaneously โ a rare overlap that won’t happen again for years.
Ash Wednesday / Lent โ The 40-day Christian season of reflection, fasting, and preparation for Easter begins for approximately 2.4 billion Christians worldwide.
Ramadan โ The holy month of fasting, prayer, and community begins upon the sighting of the crescent moon for approximately 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.
Both traditions center on renewal, gratitude, sacrifice, and shared meals with community. That 4.2 billion people from two great faiths simultaneously enter periods of reflection and fasting is a quiet, profound reminder of what humanity holds in common across continents and centuries.
Source: Religion Media Centre
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” โ Mahatma Gandhi
๐ IT’S RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY
Today Is Officially the Day to Be Good to a Stranger
February 17 is designated Random Acts of Kindness Day โ a globally recognized observance dedicated to spontaneous generosity. No reason needed. No expectation of return. Just one person choosing to make another person’s day a little better.
Ideas to try today:
- Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line
- Leave a generous tip and a handwritten note
- Send an unexpected “thinking of you” text to someone who’s been on your mind
- Compliment a stranger’s effort โ not just their appearance
- Leave a library book with a note inside for the next reader
Research from Harvard shows that performing acts of kindness activates the same reward pathways in the brain as receiving gifts. You don’t just make someone else’s day โ you make your own.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” โ Aesop
๐ TODAY’S SPECIAL OBSERVANCES
February 17, 2026
๐ Lunar New Year / Chinese New Year โ Year of the Fire Horse begins. 15 days of celebration worldwide, closing with the Lantern Festival on March 3.
๐ World Human Spirit Day โ Celebrating the resilience, courage, and beauty of the human spirit in every person.
๐ Random Acts of Kindness Day โ Officially designated to perform unexpected acts of kindness for strangers.
๐ญ Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday โ The final day of Carnival season before Lent begins tomorrow. Celebrated with parades, music, and costumes in New Orleans, Rio, Venice, and worldwide.
๐ก National Innovation Day (USA) โ Honoring inventors, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers who push humanity forward.
๐ญ THE PERSPECTIVE CORNER
What Today’s Stories Have in Common
Look at the threads running through today’s news:
Elana Meyers Taylor was told โ by circumstance, by injury, by age โ that it was time to be done. She disagreed. At 41, a mother of two, she won her first gold.
The Fire Horse symbolizes the refusal to walk when you could gallop. Bold moves. Big bets. Decisive action.
Lent and Ramadan both begin from the same impulse: that we are capable of more than we currently practice. That renewal is possible. That sacrifice leads somewhere.
Random Acts of Kindness Day asks us not to wait for a reason to be generous. To act first. To give without an audience.
The thread is this: the best things happen when people refuse to accept limitations โ whether those limitations are age, doubt, fatigue, or simply the habit of waiting for a better moment.
Today is the better moment.
“Today, I release every doubt that once held me back. I choose to believe in myself without hesitation, without conditions, and without apology.” โ Daily Affirmation, Feb. 17, 2026
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” โ Eleanor Roosevelt
๐ฏ 5 WAYS TO SPREAD GOOD NEWS TODAY
- Perform a random act of kindness โ It’s the official day. Pay for someone’s coffee, leave a kind note, hold the elevator. Go.
- Wish someone Gong Xi Fa Cai โ If you know someone celebrating Lunar New Year today, say it. It means the world.
- Share Elana Meyers Taylor’s story โ Someone in your life needs to hear “it’s not too late.” Send them this.
- Watch the Olympics tonight โ Seven medal events. Cheer for athletes from all 87 nations. It’s free on Peacock.
- Start something bold โ The Fire Horse says now. Whatever you’ve been sitting on, the Year of the Fire Horse says: run.
๐ฌ QUOTES WORTH SHARING
“I thought it was impossible. There were so many moments I thought it wasn’t possible โ and I had some really good people in my corner who believed in me.” โ Elana Meyers Taylor
“You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40. I think Elana and I are both proof that that’s not true.” โ Kaillie Humphries
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them โ a desire, a dream, a vision.” โ Muhammad Ali
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” โ Aesop
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” โ Eleanor Roosevelt
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” โ Mahatma Gandhi
๐ฎ LOOKING AHEAD
This Week:
- Wednesday, Feb. 18 โ Ash Wednesday + Ramadan begins simultaneously
- Thursday, Feb. 20 โ USA Women’s Hockey gold medal game vs. Canada
- Friday, Feb. 20 โ Women’s two-woman bobsled begins (Meyers Taylor goes again!)
- Sunday, Feb. 22 โ Closing ceremony, Milano Cortina 2026
The final week of the Winter Olympics is here. With Norway on course for a historic three-peat medal lead, Italy smashing their own records at home, Team USA at 19 medals and counting, and a women’s hockey gold medal game against Canada on deck โ there’s still so much to celebrate.
๐ THE FINAL WORD
February 17, 2026 is the kind of day that reminds you why paying attention is worth it.
A 41-year-old mother won her first Olympic gold by 0.04 seconds โ then fell to her knees on the Italian ice and cried. 1.5 billion people lit lanterns and made dumplings and exchanged red envelopes and rang bells for a new year that only comes in this form once every 60 years. Four billion people from two great faiths prepare, simultaneously, to enter their most reflective season.
And somewhere today, someone is going to pay for a stranger’s coffee. Someone is going to get a text from an old friend that says “I was thinking about you.” Someone is going to read a note left in a library book and feel, for a moment, that the world is paying attention to them.
None of that makes the news. All of it makes the world.
Go be the good news someone else needs today. ๐๐ฅ๐
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๐ That’s it for today’s Good Good!
Remember: It’s never too late. The Fire Horse says run.
Happy Lunar New Year! ๆญๅ็ผ่ฒก ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ
Published by: All Good Things That Happened Mission: Spreading good news, one story at a time Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Share the fire. Share the good. ๐โค๏ธ
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